


Of Princes and Potions 2

by NekoAbi



Series: Of Princes and Potions [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Demitri and Logan are both orphans, Fantasy AU, I'll be adding more tags as I complete the fic, Implied blood, Injury, M/M, Most of these are likely to be referenced or alluded to, Pain, Sad Backstories, Scarring, Sympathetic Deceit in later chapters, Themes of Racism, Themes of genocide, Themes of war, This is a second part to a previous fic, royal au, themes of abandonment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-28 22:15:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20785913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoAbi/pseuds/NekoAbi
Summary: After Crown Prince Roman Sanders' birthday ball, his new relationship with Logan Pendry is going strong. However, a couple of inhabitants of the castle are hiding secrets of their past from most of the world. When they get exposed on accident, a new wave of problems come falling upon the royal family and their friends.





	1. Chapter 1

The prince’s ball went on for hours, lasting well into the night. Many guests slowly trickled out of the door before the night was over. The first to go were those who were only there to be in the crown prince’s presence and attempt to woo him. As he’d made his choice clear and emphasised it by graciously declining all other attempts at flirting for the rest of the night, their purpose was done, and they had nothing left to gain from the event. The fact that it was a good portion of the attendees that left did cause a slight ache in Roman’s heart, but all who remained by his side healed it easily.

Once the ache had dulled slightly, Roman had a wonderful time. He danced with his friends, chatting and laughing the entire time. He danced with his father for a couple of songs and shared some with his little brother too. He spoke with many of the guests, thankful that the interactions felt far less forced and much easier to get through.

But the most enjoyable part of it all was being able to spend time with his companion.

Logan hung around in his shadow for the entire night, mostly because Roman was dragging him along the whole time. He was being introduced to a whirlwind of people, most of whom he could barely remember 10 minutes later as the information was scrawled out in his mind in order to be replaced with the new set of names and faces. But it was enjoyable all the same. Simply because he felt normal once more, and he had Roman beside him.

It was still fairly early when the king approached the couple, a very sleepy young prince curled up in his arms. He softly spoke, telling them he was happy for them both and that he would love to stay longer, but Thomas really needed to be taken up to bed. Both the prince and mage understood, and they bid him goodnight.

Hours later, Logan was feeling the exhaustion. He’d long since separated from Roman’s side and taken a seat at one of the tables. He was watching the prince effortlessly glide around the almost empty ballroom with one of his friends. Even without the effects of the potion heavy upon his emotions, something strong stirred inside him and made Logan feel lighter than air. He began to get lost in his thoughts for a moment, thinking back to the initial dance he’d shared with Roman.

A shadow fell over him, causing the mage to look up. The curious expression was replaced with a gentle smile as the crown prince filled his vision.

“Are you here to drag me back into the fray of socialisation?” Logan quipped, exhaustion heavy in his voice.

Roman barked out a short laugh as he grabbed a hold of the nearest chair. He pulled it up alongside Logan, seating himself down. Within seconds, the prince deflated and seemed just as exhausted as his companion, “I would never, my dearest. I just thought to come and check up on you as you have been over here for a while.” Roman reached over and slipped his hand beneath the closest of Logan’s, holding it carefully as though he was scared to break him.

“Thank you for the concern, but I am quite alright. You seemed to be enjoying yourself,” Logan’s grip on the hand in his own tightened for a moment as his eyes dropped to the floor, “and I did not wish to be a burden on you, so I thought to take a seat to the side.”

“You would never be a burden to me.” Roman was suddenly sat straight in his chair, his other hand resting atop Logan’s. He stared deep into the mage’s eyes, trying his hardest to let his sincerity come across.

“Burden was… a poor choice of terminology. I simply could not think of something else…” Logan swallowed hard, blaming the residual effects of the potion for the strange feeling of guilt that had settled into the lower portion of his stomach.

Roman went to say something more, but a shout of his name cut him off.

“Roman! We just wanted to come and say goodbye before we all left.” Valerie called out as she approached with her sister and a few of Roman’s closer friends.

The prince, never letting go of Logan’s hand, stood and said goodbye to his friends, knowing that they wouldn’t get the chance to see each other for a fairly long stretch of time. He was a little taken aback once they addressed Logan and the mage responded in kind. Sure, Logan was likely going to respond in order to be respectful, but the smile and light testing of the waters with a soft sarcasm to some of his words – which had many of the surrounding nobility laughing – were utterly unexpected to the prince. It was a very welcome surprise though.

The couple accompanied the group of friends to the doors of the ballroom, as they were the final guests to be leaving from the party. They all said their final farewells before separating. Roman turned to the guards and servants, “Thank you. Do not feel an obligation to have the ballroom entirely clean before tomorrow. Please spread the word. Not one of us wants anyone pushing themselves too much.”

All the addressed servants nodded and hurried off in different directions in order to tell other members of staff, while the guards began to walk around the perimeter of the ballroom in order to speak to the knights stationed around. Roman watched for a moment before turning to his partner with a gentle smile.

“Would you like to stay with me tonight?”

\---

Logan stood still as the ornate door shut quietly behind him. His eyes roamed the absolutely enormous bedroom before him.

The only words Logan could even think of to describe the room he was looking at were ‘decadent to the extreme’. It was large and spacious, with a great amount of that space going completely unused even with the big furniture that littered the space. The part that drew his attention at first was the huge, plush-looking four poster bed that was draped in shades of red and gold – from the pillows to the sheer curtains hanging from the dowels creating the frame. The cushions were piled up at the head of the bed, forming what seemed to be a mountain with a seemingly well-loved yet still beautifully constructed rabbit plush sat at the base of it all. A set of doors were slightly ajar in the wall next to it, behind which Roman had disappeared only a moment before and Logan could only assume it led to a walk-in wardrobe that just had to be as extreme as the room outside of it.

His eyes then caught the large window that was indented into the wall to the left of the bed. The mage crossed the room to look out at the view of the kingdom, though he was only just about able to make out the shape of the capital city in the darkness. He perched carefully on the edge of the window seat, utterly astounded by the comfort of it. Yet more of the cushions from the bed littered the space, which seemed large enough for at least five people to sit side-by-side on it, with blankets and a couple other soft toys haphazardly thrown onto it. To the side of the seat was a writing desk that seemed as though a tornado had come through and thrown everything around on top of it. Papers – some written on, some still clean - were scattered every which way, some of them were even crumpled on the floor around the chair. Several pots of differently colour ink were half open and in various different places, with multiple writing implements following suit. A few books lay in disarray on the shelf above the desk, though they seemed to be notepads rather than reading material. Logan couldn’t bear to look at the disorganisation for long, and so he turned his attention across the room. Unexpectedly, he locked eyes with himself.

A large and equally as messy dressing table sat up against the opposing wall, a multitude of products and beauty tools covering the entire surface. But what was more interesting, and had Logan getting up onto his feet and crossing the wide space, were the in-built bookshelves that were situated in the rest of that particular wall. Every shelf was packed full of gorgeously bound books; some with treated leather, others with silver detailing and so much more. The ones that were within reach and seemed to have been read the most were books packed full of fictional tales, though Logan was only able to notice this once he began to read what was printed to the spines. By the titles alone, the mage could see there was a trend to most of the tales that had been read over and over – most seemed to include tall tales of brave heroes going out on grand, fantastical adventures, where they fight and defeat many villains along the way before ultimately performing some over-the-top act of bravery, therefore saving the day and becoming a well-known and revered hero to the people they protected. While Logan himself would never have ever chosen to fill a bookcase with such books, he couldn’t help but feel a slight tug of endearment to the practice. He could almost imagine Roman curled up on the window seat with one of these books open in his lap, his expressive face and body language showing every emotion he was feeling as he turned the pages. Perhaps he even acted some of his favourite scenes out, alongside his brother… Now that was an adorable image that crossed Logan’s mind. He coughed slightly as thinking about the crown prince in such a vulnerable moment caused his cheeks to flush ever so slightly, especially once the thought of Logan being able to witness such moments joined that. He instead attempted to distract himself by looking at the books lower down. It amused him that these were all of the ones used for the prince’s studies and a fair amount of them seem to have barely been touched due to the layer of dust that sat on them.

“Ah, I see you’ve found them.” Roman’s voice sounded from behind the mage, causing him to look over his shoulder. The prince was now dressed in far less than usual, which made sense as he was about to lay down to rest for the night. It didn’t stop Logan’s mind from screeching to a halt, especially as Roman approached and looked at the bookshelf himself. It took all of Logan’s willpower to not fade out and lose Roman’s words as the prince’s wonderfully toned and firm looking torso was close enough for him to reach out and touch… “It must be strange to you. Seeing all these stories in a similar place to that of those large tomes you keep all the way up there.”

“O-oh yes, it is indeed quite, uh, different from my, um… collection.” Logan quickly stood back to his full height, willing the pinkness in his cheeks to disappear quickly before the prince could take note of it.

Roman chuckled softly, gently placing a hand upon Logan’s shoulder, “If any of them interest you, you are more than welcome to peruse them at your leisure. My room is now open to you at all times. However, I would appreciate a slight warning of your entrance if I happen to be in here. No telling what you could stumble in on.” Logan had to internalise the splutter that wanted to escape him at the implication of Roman’s words.

The prince then turned and moved towards the bed, climbing onto it easily. Logan, now facing that direction, remained in his position near the bookshelf, uncharacteristically looking unsure of himself. Roman was a little concerned. “Is everything alright, Logan?”

“Hm? Oh, uh, yes, of course.” Logan attempted to reassure the prince, though his attempt clearly failed when he caught a glimpse of Roman’s worried expression.

“You are not obligated to stay with me here if you are uncomfortable with it.” Roman reassured his partner. He moved to sit on the edge of the bed closest to Logan. Roman wanted to leap off of the mattress and hold Logan in his arms, but he realised that it was likely to only worsen the situation, so he decided where he was would be a good middle ground.

Logan nodded gently, “I assumed so, but I would hate to disappoint you… You seemed so pleased and eager to bring me in here…”

“Logan…” Roman couldn’t help it now. He slipped off of the bed and approached the mage, carefully and gently reaching for the other man’s hands in order to hold them. Logan didn’t try to remove them from his grasp, which only pushed Roman on further, “There would be no disappointment at all. I wish to see you happy and content. If being here will do neither of those, then please do not feel any reason to stay. You are free to come and go as you wish.”

The mage searched Roman’s face for anything resembling a shift in his sincerity but found absolutely nothing. It made him relax a little.

“I am not displeased to be here with you, Roman. I very much would like to stay…” Logan trailed off, unsure of how to phrase the rest of what he knew he needed to say.

Roman simply smiled warmly, “and you are always welcome to. I do hope you don’t plan to sleep in all of this, however.” He jokingly tugged at the dress robes that still adorned Logan’s body.

Logan couldn’t help the soft snort that escaped him, “I absolutely did plan on that, in fact. This is what I wear every night, in fact. Is that going to be an issue for you?” Logan replied sarcastically, smiling a little more once Roman laughed again.

“I think I may have something far more suited to resting that you can wear. All of these layers cannot be that comfortable.”

Before he could realise it, Logan was being pulled towards the walk-in wardrobe. His stomach suddenly began to churn, and his heartrate spiked as they stepped beyond the threshold and the rows upon rows of clothing filled his vision; the sight of himself in the wall-sized mirror at the opposite end of the room not helping his predicament. Logan willed himself to calm down, but his situation was only worsening by the second as Roman, completely oblivious, looked through one of the clothing racks.

“Ah, here it is. You can wear this until- Logan?” Roman cut himself off when he spun back around to see his partner almost pushing himself against the double doors as if he were trying to escape. Cautiously and carefully, Roman approached, “Are you sure you’re alright with staying? Something seems to be bothering you quite severely. Please do not force yourself for my sake.”

Logan shook his head. If he wasn’t going to do it now, he might never do it. Roman deserved to know. It was foolish of him to be so worked up over it. There was no way that Roman would reject him for who he was… right?

After taking a deep breath, the mage glanced up to Roman, “I… There is something you need to know, about me.”

Roman sat silently on the mattress, waiting for Logan to speak. He’d allowed the mage to do whatever he wished to feel comfortable, as the matter that was on his mind was clearly something that caused him a lot of distress. The prince had followed Logan’s every word and instruction without question and was now patiently sat facing the mage’s back. He wanted to ask questions, wanted to know everything so he could do whatever he could to help relieve some of the stress and strain. Yet he held his tongue. Even when Logan’s shoulders sagged heavily, when Logan had sighed and ran his hands down his face, when Logan glanced over his shoulder to him in order to ask him, “Please don’t be alarmed?”

The seconds stretched out into what felt like minutes as Logan mentally prepared himself. He grasped the edges of his robes, breathing calmly and slowly in order to maintain composure. Despite the part of him that was crying out for him to not do this, that was convinced he was likely about to lose the one thing he’d finally realised he’d wanted for all this time, Logan knew he had to. It would be unfair on both himself and Roman to keep it a secret for much longer. With one last steadying breath, Logan shut his eyes and removed the robes.

Roman’s eyes grew wide and he fought not to suck in a heavy breath at the sight before him. His hand automatically reached out to touch, the pads of his fingers catching on the edges of the uneven surface before him. He barely noticed that Logan was almost as still as a statue, waiting for him to say something. Roman was instead mesmerised by the scales that coated half of Logan’s back.

The prince’s eyes traced each and every one. He noted that they seemed to begin partway up Logan’s neck and widened out from there, reaching the midpoint of his back and running parallel to his spine all the way down until the trail disappeared beneath the remaining clothing that covered the mage’s lower body. There was something that was just so… captivating about them. The way the moonlight caught the tips and made the edges almost seem like a completely different colour, the pattern on each one that could only be seen once Roman got up close to them, the way they lay so flat against the mage’s skin and seemed to organically grow from a part of him. It was almost breath-taking. Roman had never seen them in person before.

Finally, he spoke, “I see why you must have been worried.” Roman noticed the slight shake to Logan’s body, now that he was finally out of his reverie and so he carefully rested his arms around him, pulling him into a loose hug. “I understand that it must have taken so much for you to share this, especially as this has only just begun. But, I will assure you that, no matter who you are, no matter where you came from, what your heritage may be, I will never think bad of you. I do not harbour any negative feelings for you with this new information and I doubt you will ever be able to convince me to think such a way about you. No matter your bloodline, no matter if you are descended from Yitra or not, that does nothing to change the way I feel for you, Logan.”

Silent tears slid down Logan’s cheeks and dripped to the floor at Roman’s words. Despite the self-consciousness in ever sharing his heritage with anyone past those who already know, despite the worry and fear of being shamed and cast aside for simply being born to those who were practically destroyed years ago, despite everything that he had built up for years and years by being cooped up in his tower for his own safety, someone was willing to look past it and still cared for him. Better yet, it was someone who Logan felt strongly for, someone he may even feel he loves with all of his heart. The pure emotional release had Logan’s rational thoughts being pushed aside in favour of his instincts.

He was easily able to turn around in Roman’s loose grip in order to grasp the prince’s face and press a forceful kiss to the royal’s lips, everything that Logan was unable to vocalise being poured into the physical gesture with the hope that Roman was able to understand at least a part of it. It was when Roman began to return the kiss and his arms tightened around Logan, holding him securely in place. That was the moment Logan knew he understood, and that everything would be fine.


	2. Chapter 2

Months passed by and things quietened back down to a relatively normal level. The prince and mage’s relationship was progressing wonderfully, though it may not have looked that way to some of the public. The two had made several appearances and, in each one, they seemed to bicker and argue. Logan did this with his usual stoic demeanour, while Roman got fired up and antsy each time, but it definitely looked as though the two enjoyed themselves in these moments.

Logan was finding his personal life to be changing quite significantly. He was being integrated into the royal family far quicker than he had expected. He was invited to family meals – which also included Virgil from time to time – before being whisked away to assist in various tasks. One of which was instructing the younger of the princes, who seemed all too interested in Logan’s magic and potions.

The mage was walking down the hall, away from the dining room after yet another full family breakfast, intent on getting up to his tower to complete some work. Shouting from behind had him stopping in his tracks.

“MR MAGIC! WAIT!”

“THOMAS! GET BACK HERE!”

Logan turned and saw Thomas come barrelling down the hallway towards him, with Roman hot on his heels. Both of them were definitely not going to stop in time to avoid crashing into him, even though Roman was very quickly catching up to his brother. Fearing the worst, Logan darted away and pressed himself against the wall. It was just in time too, as he could feel the end of his cloak whip Roman’s legs as he finally managed to scoop Thomas up into his arms. His momentum wouldn’t allow him to stop right there, so he continued a few more steps before coming to a halt. Logan stayed leaning against the wall but turned to look down the hallway, still trying to fully process what just happened before him.

Roman, after catching his breath a little, started to chastise the squirming Thomas in his arms, “Thomas, you shouldn’t run after people like that. You could have hurt Logan!”

“No, I couldn’t! Mr Magic would be okay! Put me dooooown!” The younger prince attempted valiantly to wriggle out of Roman’s arms, his eyes shut tight as he did so.

“What were you even going to do once you caught up to him?!” Roman turned to face his partner, “I apologise for my brother, Logan. _Again._” Roman glared at Thomas, who stuck his tongue out at his older brother.

Logan finally peeled himself away from the wall, brushing down his cloak in an attempt to avoid looking sheepish, “It is quite alright. I know that he did not mean to harm me, he was simply excited. Though, about what, I am not quite sure…” The mage inquisitively looked towards the child, who stilled immediately and looked up at him with shining eyes.

“I want to see more magic! Please, please, please! I’ll be real good. I promise!” Thomas begged, clasping his small hands in front of his face and attempting an exaggerated – yet effective – pleading look. The way his bottom lip stuck out and the hope in his eyes broke Logan’s resolve far too quickly and he agreed to let the young prince tag along with him for part of the day.

The unlikely pair made their way towards Logan’s tower; Thomas chatting excitedly about what cool spells Logan could possibly already know and if Logan could teach him, to which Logan merely offered a gentle smile and short answer that boiled down to ‘We’ll see if you have what it takes.’ Roman stood still in the middle of the corridor, pouting with his arms folded tightly across his chest. “Now what am I supposed to do?” He huffed and stalked off in the opposite direction, a little miffed that his boyfriend had essentially chosen his little brother over him… but he’d get over it.

Once in the tower, Thomas settled himself in a chair that Logan had pulled out for him and kicked his legs back and forth as he waited beside Logan’s potion desk. His head was following the mage’s every movement as he grabbed various ingredients and bottles and liquids and all sorts of other things from shelves around the room. He asked questions about everything and Logan was more than happy to indulge Thomas’ inquisitive nature. As Logan began to set all his equipment up, Thomas had many questions about each of the ingredients he’d brought over to the desk and Logan listed each of them off alongside their properties and what they were good for. The young prince was utterly fascinated, if the look on his face was anything to go by when Logan turned to glance at him. He’d been silent the entire time that Logan had rambled on and on about ingredients and the mage had definitely become a little worried that Thomas was bored, but it did not seem to be the case.

Thomas was also the perfect assistant to have around for trickier parts of the process. On a few separate occasions, Logan had enlisted the help of Virgil or Demitri – none of which had gone all that well. He shuddered to even remember the disarray his tower had been left in when Virgil had not been able to hold still, or the pure chaos that had occurred when Strix had interrupted and distracted Demitri. Either way, Logan was happy to have such a good assistant now. Thomas listened and did everything perfectly, just the way Logan asked. He even kept his questions until after they’d completed the hard parts – a lesson they’d both learned the hard way a couple of months prior and still had the light bruises to remember it by.

But, in no time at all, lunchtime came, and Thomas was called away to return to his schedule, which left Logan to work on more ‘boring’ things – at least, by the young prince’s standards. His potion was bubbling away nicely and the rustling of the trees outside his open window soothed Logan as he poured over a few new spells in the book he’d been making his way through. He got lost in his comfortable atmosphere until someone gently pushed open the door to his room, calling out to him as they did so.

“Sir Pendry. You have been requested to join the royal family in the dining hall.” The knight in the doorway addressed him, eyes firmly fixated on the opposite wall rather than the mage’s own face.

Logan sighed internally, placed the string as his bookmark once again and reached for his robe, “Thank you for informing me. Please, go on ahead and let the king know I will be present as soon as possible.” He waited to hear the heavy footsteps of the knight descending the spiral stairs before he even considered throwing the robe over himself. As he began his slightly slower journey towards the dining hall, Logan reflected on the changes going on around him.

He had become far closer to the royals than he’d ever even imagined, and it was all seeming like it was working just fine. But then, everyone else in the castle was suddenly far more distant. Yes, they’d always been somewhat formal, most likely due to his reputation and his closeness with the captain. But not once had they treated him quite like they had been ever since Roman’s birthday. It was a little uncomfortable, as it made it more obvious how much had changed while Logan was trying his hardest to make sure not much did. As Logan turned the final corner and saw the ajar door just ahead of him, he pushed the thoughts from his mind. None of the royals needed to know about his silly little worries. Logan was sure it would all be fine in the end anyway.

After seating him down in his designated chair, Logan was greeted with a soft kiss on the cheek from his boyfriend. It was still new, and a little startling, but Logan had to admit to himself that some of the changes happening around him weren’t all that bad when given a second thought.

Spending dinner with the royals was definitely one of those. His old meals were solitary and isolated, sometimes they didn’t occur at all due to him losing track of time in his studies. But now, his meal times were filled with chatter from the family he’d been welcomed into. Logan was still trying to adjust to it all and, thankfully, all three of the Sanders were allowing him the space to do so.

“Oh, Logan. I had almost forgotten.” Patton addressed him as their plates were being taken away. “Demitri has requested you go and see him whenever you can. Apparently he requires your unique talents.” The king grinned widely and seemed far too excited about something that he wasn’t even involved in.

“Do you have any idea as to what it could be, your maj- uh, Patton?” Logan quickly corrected himself before Patton could give him The Look. Sure, it was clearly teasing, but it managed to get Logan to feel some form of guilt at still continuing to call him by such a formal title.

Patton shook his head with a shrug, “No idea. He didn’t tell me anything. But I’m sure you’re more than capable! You are the most accomplished magician in the kingdom, after all!”

“Besides all that, you must pass on this message to him.” Roman cut in, stopping Logan from graciously thanking the king for passing on the message. The dramatic prince turned sharply in his chair and quickly grabbed a hold of both of Logan’s hands, clasping them between his own whilst staring deeply into Logan’s eyes – a gaze that was both alluring and frightening to the mage. “You tell him that if he allows any harm to befall you, that if even a single hair on your head be damaged, he shall have me to answer to.”

“Why, Roman, it seems as though you have an idea as to what Demitri is asking me for. Would you mind elaborating?” Logan responded, sarcasm dripping through his deadpan response as his face turned neutral.

Roman gaped for a few seconds, clearly searching his brain for something before theatrically throwing out idea after idea, each one becoming more spectacular and unrealistic as time progressed. Once Roman threw out the idea of Demitri asking him to come along to tame a pack of dragons by ensnaring it’s leader in magical rocks and vines, Logan pushed his chair away and began to head towards the door.

“All of those theories are quite creative. But please refrain from wasting my time on such stories.” Logan said, the slight twitch to his lips giving away that he was clearly teasing the prince. He headed towards the door, making sure to thank the king for yet another invitation to dinner. Just as he was about to cross the threshold of the room, a hand grasped Logan’s wrist and spun him around, bringing him face to face with the crown prince.

Roman’s voice was soft and low, quiet enough for only Logan to entirely make out the words that were being said, “Is there a way you would prefer me to waste your time? With my active imagination, there are many ways I can come up with to do so… if you so desire.”

Logan’s face immediately flushed as Roman’s words sank in and he was left speechless. Even after all the time before and after the incident with the potion, Logan was still not used to such flirtatious words. It was especially mortifying that they were so close to Roman’s own family members while he was propositioning him in such a manner. Logan let out a slow breath and placed a quick but lingering kiss to Roman’s lips as they hovered so tantalisingly just above his own. “I would be… interested in hearing some of these ideas of yours sometime. However, I have matters to attend to, as you are well aware.” Logan responded, keeping his own voice low in volume too.

“I’ll keep your request in mind.” Roman’s eyes lit up before pressing a feather light kiss on Logan’s hand, which he slowly raised between them. “I shall let you go now. I am so _very sorry_ for keeping you here for longer than you intended, Logan.” Roman’s volume was back to normal, though he was still poking fun at his boyfriend.

“Yes, well… you should consider other people’s responsibilities before you impede on their schedule like that.” Logan cleared his throat as he stepped away, “Now, if you will all excuse me, I shall go and find out what Demitri would like from me. Good evening.” With that, Logan bowed and headed off towards the grounds.

It had taken a while as Logan had to check every building the littered the animal habitat the royals owned as Demitri had clearly not been in his room. Eventually, the mage found the man in the furthest away barn.

“Good evening, Demitri. I was informed that you requested me to assist you in some way?” Logan called out as he entered, causing Demitri to turn in his direction.

The animal handler smiled a crooked smile, getting back up to his feet, “Yes, I did. This is a problem that can only be solved by the combination of our… _expertise._” Demitri put extra emphasis on the final word, his smile dropping as he stared into Logan’s eyes, now serious. It seemed to be habit, but Demitri’s hand also came to brush against the scarred half of his face, almost as if he were trying to pick at something.

Logan stepped forward and pushed Demitri’s hand down, bringing attention to the gesture. Demitri flinched away after a moment of realisation and he looked sheepishly down to the ground beneath his feet. Logan thought to ask about it, but he realised that was only likely to push the man away even more, so he refrained. Instead, he asked, “So, how can I help?”


	3. Chapter 3

Demitri led Logan down through the town’s main street and towards the gates that exited out to the fields surrounding the capital. During the entire trip, Logan watched as all the people they passed gave lingering looks at the animal handler. Several mothers clutched their children and pulled them closer as they passed, several stall owners gave him a disgusted look and many of the male townspeople almost seemed to be ready to fight the man. It made Logan feel utterly sick, especially when those same people then made eye contact with him and gave him wide, unnatural smiles. It was so eerily similar to the fake smiles he’d seen at Roman’s ball. The mage knew that, as soon as they passed and their backs were facing the townspeople, those smiles would be gone, and the pure hatred would still remain.

They passed through the town’s gates and were finally alone. Logan couldn’t help but bring it up to Demitri.

“The townspeople seem to dislike you a lot, Demitri. Are you aware of them all watching you and treating you like a criminal?” Logan asked.

Demitri laughed hollowly, “Yes, Logan. I am far too aware of it all, but I’ve grown used to it over the years. It’s always been like that, ever since I was brought in as a child. They seem to all have… a _theory_ about me.”

The emphasis on the word ‘theory’ made Logan’s blood run cold. “Ah, I see. I suppose it has something to do with the past?”

Demitri nodded but said nothing more on the subject. Instead, he turned back to the reason they were even outside of the castle boundaries at all. “It’s just a short walk this way. Follow me.”

The pair walked in silence in the direction Demitri had pointed out and eventually came across a small group of a few men standing by a fence. Upon hearing the approaching footsteps, they all turned and greeted them. Demitri jumped into a conversation about how everything was progressing, and the men offered updates.

A strange animal had been seen in the field just beyond the one they were currently in and not a single person in town or nearby knew what it was or where it came from. A couple local farmers did attempt to approach but noticed that the animal was getting agitated and that scared them off from attempting contact with it. Due to the unknown nature of the animal, the only thing they could think of to do was send communication to the royal family and ask for their help.

It was well known that the royals had an animal handler on their grounds that looked after every animal that they owned. It was rumoured that the prince’s pegasus was tamed by the mysterious man back when both of them were young, allowing the prince to grow up alongside the winged animal. There were several other stories floating through the rumour mill which involved the man taming and being able to communicate with animals that were rare or unnatural, all of which ultimately lead to the conclusion that the man must be descended from the Yitra.

The clan that had been mostly wiped out years prior were known for their ability to seemingly communicate with animals, it was one of their most defining features, so of course the general population would assume that Demitri’s skills came from such a heritage and his unknown backstory and scarred appearance did little to help him.

Logan knew all of this. He was fully aware of the townspeople’s disdain towards the man for his perceived lineage. And it still unnerved him that people thought of him so harshly with such little evidence. It had always made him worry what would happen if he were ever truly found out… or if Logan himself were exposed.

Logan had received some of the disdain for his interest and use of magic, yet another Yitra trait, though not one so specifically linked with the clan as the animal communication. Several people had confronted him early on when he began making trips into town, asking him probing questions or full on attempting to call him out on his heritage. When Logan eloquently responded to their claims with logical rebuttals, everything seemed to die down though people were still wary to this day. Well, until he made his debut alongside the crown prince.

“Come Logan. Let me show you the creature.” Demitri addressed the mage after finishing up his conversation. Logan nodded and the two trekked across the slightly overgrown field towards where the rumoured animal was. It wasn’t hard to spot once it came into view.

The creature was covered in dark red matted fur that looked almost as though it had been coated in blood for many years. It was seemingly similar in shape to that of a common bull, yet it was larger when looked at closer and its horns were far more dangerous. From where they currently stood, Logan could just about make out that small hook-like details on the horns which were clearly for ensnaring prey and ensuring they were unable to flee from the creature. It was fairly still, seemingly content in that moment to simply linger in the overgrown grass. It had yet to notice the pair crouched just a short distance away.

“Do you remember what I asked?” Demitri whispered cautiously, his eyes never leaving the animal in front of them.

Logan reached into the concealed pocket of his robe and extracted the wooden wand he’d been requested to bring, “Conjure ensnaring vines in order to rob the creature of its movements and then be ready to assist in case things go sour.” The mage repeated the instructions given to him the night before.

Demitri smiled wryly, “Perfect recollection. Ready?” Logan made a noise of affirmation and Demitri steadied himself with a heavy breath, “Now.”

In the blink of an eye, thick vines sprouted from the brush and flew into the air before falling atop the creature. They swung around its body multiple times before planting themselves back into the ground, holding it as still as possible. Demitri and Logan stood quickly and rushed over to the creature, which was thrashing about in an attempt to free itself from the sudden bindings it had found itself in. Logan gripped the wood in his hand tightly, readying himself in case he needed to cast something else as Demitri held his gloved hands out towards the startled creature. The animal tamer was doing his best to speak to the animal, trying to calm it with soft words.

“It’s alright. They won’t hurt you, we won’t hurt you.” He said, his voice even, “We simply want to relocate you to a better place. It’s okay.”

The creature continued to thrash its body around. It was not listening, and it was quickly becoming clear that it was not going to begin to listen to Demitri, no matter what happened. The animal handler turned to his companion, silently asking for a solution, but the mage could only shrug in response. As each second ticked on by, they became more and more desperate.

Then the snapping noises started.

It was all too fast for both men to process.

Logan had noticed first, being the one facing the creature. He saw, almost in slow motion, one of the vines he’d conjured break away. He could see the rest of them on the verge of doing the same. And so, in a moment of bravery and desperation, he dove towards Demitri and attempted to move the man out of the way of the beast that was about to come charging towards them both. But Demitri was startled, even once Logan had grabbed a hold of his body.

With Demitri having more strength than the mage, he was able to turn both of them towards the animal. He held his hands up in an instinctual act of defence as the creature managed to take a step towards them both.

It was a blur. Neither could truly process what was happening until afterwards.

Demitri realised he had been knocked onto his back and that Logan had fallen with him, causing him to be sprawled out atop his body. Carefully, he pushed the other man’s vaguely conscious body to the side and went to push himself up. He yelped in pain as he placed his hands on the ground, pulling them back sharply in order to look at them.

Logan, meanwhile, was groaning after being moved and attempted to do the same as Demitri. He was able to begin moving himself, but there was a sharp pain that hit him as he attempted to move, coming right from his back. Logan powered through it and ended up sat on his knees, looking around. “Well, at least it seems to have disappeared…” He said, still wincing. When he got no response, the mage turned to look at his companion.

A very small glint of light had his entire body turning to stone.

Scales.

All along the backs of Demitri’s hands.

Visible in the daylight.

He then remembered the pain in his back.

Fear dripped through both of them as they slowly made eye contact.

“Hey! Are you two alri-”

The voice was cut off.

Silence.

“What the hell…?!”

“I knew it.”

“Disgusting.”

“They have been keeping you alive this whole time?”

“I bet they’ve been controlling them all along.”

The men they’d met with earlier were staring at them with pure disgust. Then they turned quickly and ran back in the direction of town. Still, both Logan and Demitri were still as statues.

Logan swallowed hard before finally finding his voice, “Now what?”


	4. Chapter 4

Word spread fast amongst the townspeople, so much so that the injured pair were forced to avoid entering town at all. The fear they held for what the townspeople may do in response to their secret being revealed was forefront and so they attempted to find another way back to safety of the castle. As they approached a spot where the walls of the castle grounds were visible to them, Logan noticed a familiar speck heading in their direction. By some divine happenstance, Strix was flying about and… coming right for them? Logan squinted harder, it looked as though she had something in her talons.

After dropping the items to the ground at her owner’s feet, she landed upon his shoulder and Logan couldn’t help but smile. “Thank goodness you found us, Strix.” He scratched her softly in praise, while Demitri knelt down to grab the discarded items.

The animal handler still winced when he moved his hands, but it was a necessary evil for now. “This owl of yours… How did it know?” Demitri asked, gaining Logan’s attention as he held up the piece of parchment and tiny bottle of ink.

Logan could only let out a soft chuckle, “She is incredibly smart. Somehow, she always knows what I need and when.”

Demitri had so many questions, but he decided to leave them for the moment. “Well, would you mind?” He held the items up towards the mage, “I would, of course, be happy to write something, but it would be quite painful in my… current condition.”

“Oh, of course.” Logan took the parchment and unrolled it, using his leg as a resting point. It was only then that he realised what he’d need to do. He turned to Strix, who was watching him carefully. Before Logan had even taken a breath to ask her, she turned and plucked a feather from her wing. She dropped it down into his lap. Both men were speechless.

“How the fuck.” Demitri muttered, looking at the owl curiously.

“I have stopped questioning her, quite honestly. I don’t think I’ll ever truly understand how she is able to simply know everything.” Logan spoke plainly, quickly scrawling out a short note to inform the king of what had happened as well as their general location.

That didn’t deter Demitri who was now engaged in a staring match with Strix, who was almost as interested in him as he was her. However, it had to be broken up before a victor could be named as Logan had finished the note and needed Strix to take it back up to the castle immediately.

“I have let them know where we are, so we should wait right here.” Logan said with a sigh, clearly exhausted as he sat back down after letting Strix go. His back still ached, and it stung with most every movement, but that was unimportant in this moment. He just needed to get back into the castle. Both of them did. Once that was done, then he could let his injury truly affect him.

Demitri had remained seated the entire time and was wistfully watching the owl fly off into the distance. He looked at his hands, seeing not only the deep cuts left by the creature’s horns but also the glimmering scales resting upon the backs of his hands. He turned to Logan, “I feel like I should be apologising to you…” His tone was amused and almost regretful.

“What for?”

“For bringing you out there. Had I not asked for your assistance, we wouldn’t have been found out, or did you forget that detail?”

Logan huffed, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, “While that it is true that this event could have been avoided for the two of us had you not brought me out here, the fact still remains that you could not have dealt with that creature on your own without getting significantly more injured. Especially when we consider your age.”

That prompted Demitri to glare at the mage, “My age has little to do with this.” Logan made a sarcastic noise of agreement, “That prince is rubbing off on you…”

They fell back into a silence, simply waiting. Then Demitri heard Logan let out a gentle laugh and turned to see the mage staring up at the sky, uncharacteristically wistful and seemingly sad.

“To think, we would both be found out at the same time…” Logan muttered.

The animal handler ruefully smiled, “Such an odd turn of events.”

“And after all you did to try and stop me from getting found out as well. I feel I should be the one apologising to you.”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”

Logan gave a half-hearted glare in the other man’s direction. “Hush. Your limitations to my movement in and around the castle as well as your talk of horrifying consequences scarred me as a child! Even now, I still feel the effects of such manipulation.”

“I was simply doing what was done for me, Logan. The only difference was that I was kept outside, in the same room I still reside in. Almost as if… I were one of the animals…” Demitri trailed off, his eyes turning back to the castle walls. “It was all I knew, past the small amount I could remember from before I…”

The mage watched his companion carefully, seeing the way he tensed. Not once had they spoken in great detail about their situations, their pasts. They had known from the moment they’d been introduced about their shared heritage. In fact, it was the sole reason they were introduced at all. Logan had been picked up off of the streets after the king had found him being terrorised by some locals, despite him doing nothing wrong. Meanwhile, Demitri was still a mystery. He was a very young boy back then, likely around the age Logan was when he was brought to the castle. Yet he’d never spoken about it. Not to anyone besides Patton.

However, right here, in the presence of another who knew how hard it was, it seemed like Demitri’s walls were finally giving in. He sucked in a heavy breath before letting his body entirely collapse in on itself. “It was during the massacre. I remember being so young, I couldn’t do anything. All the screaming and crying of people around me, it was terrifying. My mother had taken me somewhere she thought to be safe and she apologised with tears in her eyes. She said it was for my sake, that it would keep me out of harms way. Then she pulled them all out…” His hand ran down the scarred portion of his face, “It hurt. It was the most pain I’d ever felt. I must have tried to scream and cry, but my mother managed to calm me and keep me quiet. She was crying as much as I was. Once she was done, she made me promise. Promise I would never let them grow again, that I would do that and stay where I was, no matter what. And I promised. She went back out, I don’t know why, but that… was the last I remember. I sat there, silently. Listening to all the horrifying things happening around me. Then it stopped. I must have been there for days, unmoving. I was so hungry, still in pain, so tired. I had started to cry, I barely remember making a sound. But I must have as another child heard me and came to find me. He stood in the gap that my mother had left through. He looked so confused as he stared at me. I heard him call for someone, but I was… so weak. I somehow must have passed out. Next thing I knew, I was in the castle infirmary.”

Demitri continued. He spoke of how the previous king came to visit him personally in the infirmary, how he promised to keep him safe, how he promised to never let him come to harm. In return for a place to stay and all the protection possible, the young Demitri had to promise the king that he would never go out of the castle grounds. But he still was far from free of trauma.

“I routinely had nightmares. I still do.” Demitri confessed, staring down at the grass below them, “They only got worse once I overheard a conversation between the old knights. I heard about how the captain had said awful things about me, what he would do if I wasn’t under the king’s protection, how he would make a spectacle of me. It was terrifying. But, just as I thought I had no one, the king summoned me and introduced me to the one who’d saved my life. Instantly, Patton became a close friend. He never looked down upon me, even once he learned of what I was. He wanted to play, like children do. He wanted to be a friend to me, and I cherish that sentiment everyday… even if the ache in my heart doesn’t want me to.”

There was a slight pause. Demitri looked a little unsure of himself and so Logan tried to press him, “Why does it ache?”

Demitri laughed hollowly, “Never speak a word of this to him, but, as time went on… I found myself loving him. I didn’t know it at the time, of course, as I was a child. But, once I knew, it was hard to ignore. Though the timing could not have been worse. Everything became far more complicated once Patton was forced to take over the throne due to his parents’ deaths and even more so once he was married.” The animal handler looked back over to the castle, a gentle sad smile on his face, “I have never mentioned it. I never will. It’s far too late now. I still owe him my life and it is not my place to even consider such thoughts. I’ve fooled myself for long enough now, I can continue doing that for the rest of my life if necessary.”

Another silence. This time, Logan had nothing else to press on. Considering that Demitri was around twice Logan’s own age, that meant this had all been weighing solely on his shoulders for quite some time. No one in the castle was close enough to him, besides the king, that they would have a single clue about any of this. He stewed over the information in his head, trying desperately to come up with something to say, anything that could be considered comforting or helpful. But Logan was coming up entirely blank. A soft grip on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts.

“You don’t need to think so hard. It’s not like you could change anything.” The scarred man said, lingering sadness coating his voice.

Taking Demitri’s words to heart, Logan acted without much thought. He leant over and circled the elder man with his arms, hugging him loosely. It was awkward and Logan’s injured back was protesting, but he wanted to do this. No, he felt he needed to do this for the man who’d acted as his father figure in the early years of his life, the man who’d looked after him in his own way for many years, the man who’d gone through such hardships and heartbreak for so long. The only person in this world who could truly understand Logan. He deserved this much.

It was almost hesitant the way that Demitri returned the embrace. Not only was this a complete surprise from the usually stoic mage, but the man was clearly badly injured and Demitri didn’t want to cause any further discomfort. As the seconds passed, he found himself relaxing more and more. The physical comfort was something he’d rejected for such a long time, but it was really helping him in this moment. He rested his head down against the mage’s shoulder as all the repressed emotions bubbled up to the surface and, for the first time in years, Demitri began to cry. Tears spilled from his eyes in a rush, he began to sob, and he gripped the man before him tight. It was almost as if the fear he’d felt all those years ago was back. He was scared he’d be alone again, that he’d be abandoned and left for dead. Despite that now, as an adult, Demitri understood why his mother did what she did, it still didn’t rid him of the fear of abandonment he’d held close to his chest for all these years.

The two men stayed in the embrace for a while. Logan, despite the sharp stinging pain and slight awkwardness, wasn’t about to let Demitri slip from his grasp while he was in such a vulnerable state. He had nothing to say but Logan presumed that it wasn’t to be an issue considering the fact that the animal handler was sobbing loudly into his shoulder. They had no idea how much time passed, but the approaching sound of beating wings had Logan looking up from his current position on the ground.

Allegria touched down just beside them and Roman dropped down off of her back in a flash, falling to his knees beside the two men, “What happened to you both?! Logan, your back is-”

“I know, Roman. It’s okay. We just need to get back to the castle as soon as possible. We would have come back through the town, but we feared the worst.” Logan cut their story short. Despite Roman’s protesting and constant questioning, Logan refused to give anymore details until they were back behind the safety of the castle walls.

The pegasus was none too pleased to have to carry Demitri along with her rider, but she allowed it only at Roman’s request. The prince pressed a kiss to Logan’s hand, promising he’d be back to pick him up before he knew it. Logan felt a soft warmth spread through his system at the touch, quelling a small amount of the lingering fear that had settled into Logan’s chest. Perhaps everything would be fine.


	5. Chapter 5

The atmosphere in the infirmary was so thick, even the nurses were reluctant to ask their necessary questions as they inspected the injuries presented to them. They’d asked Logan to follow them into the other room in order to get away from the oppressive silence, as well as to give him a small bit of privacy. Even after the door had slowly shut, each and every person in the room was silent.

Demitri had his hands wrapped in bandages and was sat under the covers of one of the beds, his head hung low in order to avoid making eye contact with anyone. Patton sat on a chair that had been pulled out to rest just between both of the beds that were occupied, his shoulder hunched over in exhaustion as he glanced between the floor and Demitri. Virgil’s arm was gently resting across his back, the knight captain being seated in an identical chair just to his side. His attention was far from the injured man as he was occupied with keeping an eye on the pacing prince that was taking over the entire walk space just in front of the infirmary doors. Roman just couldn’t seem to stop moving. His eyes were blazing with fury, his body was shaking, his hands were constantly clenching and unclenching. It seemed as though he had something to say but was holding back for seemingly no reason. Each person was waiting for the prince to inevitably explode. They didn’t even know why he was so mad. Not one of them had explained more than what had been put in the letter that had been delivered to the king.

Then, before Logan was released back into his bed from the adjacent room, Roman released his pent-up aggression. Initially, he slammed his fist into the wall, causing Patton and Demitri to jump and stare towards the loud noise.

“Roman!” Patton chided instinctively, but immediately clamped his mouth shut and sat up straight as his son turned to him with pure rage filtering through his features.

“How. Dare. They.” Roman’s voice dripped venom with each word that left his mouth. He was practically spitting out the words, “How could they do such a thing?! How could they say or think such awful, disgusting, _vile_ things?! I thought they were better than that. Especially after everything _you’ve_ done for them.” He kept his gaze directed towards his father.

The responding silence only seemed to invite Roman to rant further. He began to complain heavily about the townspeople and the way they were acting, cussing them out several times whilst also condemning such actions. It was a little hypocritical, as Roman’s ranting began to devolve into empty threats of violence that he would like to carry out on anyone who did their own acts of violence against those in the infirmary. As the prince continued to rave, both Virgil and Patton shared a questioning look, which was then shifted over to Demitri, who gave the same. It was clear they’d all been thinking the same – that Roman was upset with Logan and Demitri – but thankfully, the case was clear that he was simply mad at the townspeople.

In an instant, Patton’s shoulders sank as his body released the stress that he’d been holding since they’d entered. Virgil let out a quiet huff of breath and leant back in his chair, brushing a hand through his messy, helmet-skewed hair. Demitri barely moved, though the more consistent slow rise and fall of his breathing showed that some of the tension had left him at Roman’s mention of the townspeople in particular.

The prince showed no sign of stopping, even after several minutes. Patton was beginning to get a headache from it all and squeezed his eyes shut, dropping his head into his hands.

“Roman, please. Calm down.”

Roman turned back to his father, rage still burning in his eyes. He stalked across the short space, looming over the hunched figure of the king. His voice was barely above a whisper as he continued to spit out his words, “You want me to calm down after that?”

“Yes.” Patton’s voice was still quiet, but he did raise his head to look at his son. Exhaustion was clear on his face and all could see it. Virgil, whilst giving Roman a responding and warning glare, wrapped an arm around the king’s shoulders comfortingly.

“But Father! They all are _demonising_ them! They’re talking about our _friends_ like they’re dirt on the bottom of their boots! I cannot stand for it! Surely times should have changed, with the lack of Yitra around, considering that all but them have passed since-”

“That’s a lie.”

Roman stopped dead. He’d been pacing in a circle, but now his head snapped towards his father, his gaze lacking fire for the first time. Across the room, Demitri had perked up slightly as well, though he still remained resolutely silent. Virgil was now also as still as possible, his body tense. Everyone stared at Patton, all asking a silent question.

The king answered with no prompting. “They have not all passed.”

“Well, of course they _all_ haven’t. Proof is sat right there.” Roman gestured in Demitri’s direction, causing the other man to flinch slightly.

“No, Roman, that’s not what I mean.” Patton dragged his hands down his face. For the first time, the slight wrinkles of age that decorated the man’s face truly showed their prominence. The years of secrets and lies, years of deception and worry and stress were all showing in the skin of the benevolent king. He sighed and dropped his hands to his lap, “There are still many who live to this day. They are kept in the dungeon, where they-” Patton regretted his word choice immediately.

“WHAT?!” Roman exploded. He began to screech at his father, “How could you keep them in a _dungeon_?! You knew they were there the entire time and you just… _left them there_?!” Roman gaped for a moment, unable to find the words. Patton was clearly caught off guard by his son’s outburst, eventually managing to stutter out a few weak refusals and rebuttals that ultimately were worthless. Roman scowled deeply and turned away at the lacklustre replies. The prince stalked out of the room, throwing all the doors open wide enough for them to slam against the walls.

For what felt like minutes, the sounds of the doors echoed through back to the infirmary. All three of the men sat listening to it. It was only once the sounds stopped that Virgil spoke up.

“Have you really been keeping them in the dungeon?”

The king shook his head vehemently, turning to his friend, “No, of course not! I didn’t expect him to…” He grasped a hold of Virgil’s hands tightly, grasping them as if he would leave, “You know I would never dream of keeping innocents locked up! I just… I am so used to calling it the dungeon to keep them… safe…”

Virgil pulled his hands from Patton’s grip and crossed his arms, “Explain what you mean. I’m sure we’re both confused here.” He tilted his head towards the still silent Demitri.

Patton started slightly, sitting up straight, “Oh, right, yes, of course! So, um… they are still _technically_ kept in the dungeon, but it’s not the dungeon dungeon.”

“…There are two dungeons?”

“Yes, exactly! There’s the dungeon you and the knights use. That’s the second dungeon but you all call it just ‘the dungeon’ because you don’t know about the first dungeon.”

“…So, the second dungeon is the… real dungeon?”

“Yes. It’s the actual prison dungeon, not the old not-prison dungeon.”

“Then what is the first dungeon…?”

“It’s not a dungeon. It’s just _called_ a dungeon. None of them are trapped there. We just keep calling it a dungeon so that people don’t know the old dungeon where they still are staying is no longer a dungeon.”

Virgil went to ask another question, but a new voice entered and cut the conversation off.

“Please stop saying the word dungeon. I’m already dealing with an utterly ridiculous headache and your rambling is only making it worse.” Logan exited the adjacent room back into the infirmary, one of the nurses following as he moved back to his given bed.

“But Logan, I’m still lost… What exactly is the first du-” Virgil started.

“You say that word one more time and I swear you will not sleep for a month.” Logan hissed, glaring at the knight captain whose mouth snapped shut instantly. “Patton is trying to communicate that the Yitra that are kept down in what used to be the dungeon are not trapped and that you use another, that was built with the express purpose of making it so that hardly a soul knew about the non-trapped Yitra… Am I correct?”

The king grinned and nodded, “Thank goodness! I thought I wasn’t making any sense there.” He laughed heartily, seemingly not understanding how difficult he’d made his explanation. No one in the room had the gall to try and tell the king that, as seeing him even the slightest bit carefree made them regret the basic idea of ruining his mood. Patton’s laughter subsided after a short moment and his grin softened to a caring smile, “How are you feeling, Logan?”

The mage bowed his head slightly as he settled onto the mattress, “Much better now that the wounds are dressed.” He hissed in pain as the nurse helped him to rest his back against the pillows, “Still slightly sore, but it is manageable, and I am likely to make a full recovery.”

“Good to hear.” Patton stood and patted Logan’s leg in a somewhat fatherly gesture that made Logan feel oddly light. The king then yawned, “I suppose I should be retiring to my room and letting you both rest. I will come and check on you in the morning, if you’re alright with that.”

“Of course you are welcome to do so, your majesty.”

A chuckle rumbled through the monarch as he once again patted Logan’s covered leg, “No need for such titles, Logan. Please, call me dad.” Only the sound of Patton’s footsteps on the brick floors followed as Logan’s mouth fell open in shock while his cheeks darkened significantly. Patton was already out of the infirmary when Logan let out a strangled sound that was meant to be his response.

Virgil snorted and stood from his chair, “I never thought I’d see the day when Logan, of all people, was rendered speechless.”

“Quiet.” Logan glared half-heartedly.

“Oh!” Virgil faked surprise, a hand coming up to his chest – a perfect imitation of Demitri’s pretend demeanour, though the knight would deny any correlation between the two, “He can speak!” When Logan rolled his eyes, Virgil dropped the act and smiled, “I couldn’t help it.”

The mage quirked the corner of his lip, “I am aware of your lack of impulse control when it comes to insulting me.”

“Hey! It wasn’t that much of an insult. Whatever.” Virgil waved a hand before turning serious, “Are you sure you are okay?”

Logan simply nodded. He didn’t quite want to let Virgil or anyone into the knowledge that he was not as okay as he was letting on. Something was stirring inside of him, making him feel nerves that he hadn’t experienced since the first day of his potion experiment. He was worried to an extreme degree. His well-guarded secret was out, and he had no way of knowing how far it had spread, let alone each and every reaction, though Logan was able to predict the sweeping generalisation of the public’s view on him at this moment. All of his worries were things that Logan wanted to keep to himself, things he didn’t want to burden onto the others around him. They played no part in this and they didn’t deserve to have to deal with it all. That was his <strike>il</strike>logical reasoning for lying to one of his best friends.

“Alright…” The knight captain seemed untrusting of Logan’s response, but he was unlikely to press for more information, “If there is anything you need, even if it is just someone to talk to, I am around, alright, Logan? Don’t think you have to go through this alone. We’re all here to support you.”

A lump formed in Logan’s throat and he attempted to swallow it down before speaking again, “Thank you, Virgil… I shall keep that in mind. Go, you need to rest as well.”

The knight captain nodded and gave Logan one last look before stepping out of the infirmary doors. The room fell back into quiet as the nurses had retired to the adjacent room in order to lay down themselves. Only the sound of Logan and Demitri’s breathing filled the space.

“Why did you lie to them?”

Logan turned to his companion, who’d finally spoken. With a slightly hiss, he sat himself up a little straighter, “Because they do not need to burden themselves with my problems. How about you? Why did you keep quiet?”

“The same reason.” Demitri resolutely avoided looking at Logan.

The mage huffed, “Right. Are you sure about that?” He accused.

Seconds passed as Logan waited for the animal handler’s response. He was going to wait as long as it took. Unlike his partner, the mage was patient and able to handle his impulse control. While Roman liked to ask several times in order to gain information, Logan would simply let his target know that he was waiting for the response.

It worked every time.

“Fine.” Demitri finally made eye contact, and his gaze was filled with hatred and pain, “I am terrified. Are you pleased hearing that? Is that what you wanted?”

“What has you so scared?” Logan asked innocently. He legitimately could not fathom why the man would be filled with such fear, especially in the face of such support.

“You would never understand.”

“I would like to.”

A look of contemplation crossed Demitri’s scarred features. Once again, he knew that Logan was going to wait for as long as it took. If Demitri said he didn’t want to, the mage would back off, he knew this… so why was he suddenly letting everything spill from his mouth?

“You could never, because… because they all love you, Logan.” Demitri spat, poison lacing his words. “Notice how they all spoke to you, came to you, looked at you. It’s because they like you. I was barely noticed, barely spoken about, barely acknowledged. It is something you get used to, Logan.” Tears were once again sliding down the man’s face and Demitri scrubbed at them, ignoring the pain in his hands as he did so, “I’m used to it now.”

“You’re wrong, Demitri.” Logan piped up almost immediately after the other man had stopped speaking.

“About what?”

“About them not caring for you. Firstly, with them not addressing you, they did attempt to when they first came to us, but you were quiet. In their minds, they likely assumed that you wanted to be left alone for a while, to collect your thoughts, and so they left you to it. It was an act of compassion, respecting what they assumed to be your wishes. This also extends to them not approaching you.” Logan explained simply.

“They care for you, Demitri. You can attempt to fool yourself by creating false narratives to fit what you’ve conditioned yourself to believe, but you cannot deny their care if you look at their larger actions.” Logan continued, “What was the first thing that Patton did upon finding us here?”

“Asked if we were okay…” Demitri recalled.

“You are leaving out an important detail. Think harder.”

The animal handler flushed slightly before repeating the event, “He also… checked over my injuries… but that-”

“No. No excuses. It is a fact that Patton’s first instinct upon seeing both of us was to approach you and ensure you were okay. He wanted to see how bad _your_ injuries were first.” Logan pointed out, causing Demitri to shift and grumble slightly. “Several of those instances occurred over the course of this afternoon. You have just pushed them aside, in order to focus on the small, slightly-negative aspects that fit the narrative you wish them to fit. However, that is unproductive and unhealthy.”

The animal handler sat in silence, drinking in each of Logan’s words. Deep down, he knew that the mage was right. His mind was thinking back to earlier in the day and the way that each of them had, in fact, asked him several times about what had happened and how he was feeling. Even Virgil, the one who seemed to despise him the most, had come to ensure that he was alright. It was still difficult to admit that, especially out loud. Demitri had spent so many years keeping himself at a distance from all those around him, as a precaution to make sure he wasn’t hurt anymore than he already had been… yet he was starting to realise that he’d been causing his own hurt with such ideas.

“It’s alright if you don’t wish to speak.” Logan’s voice was uncharacteristically soft and caring, “It is behaviour that will take some time to unlearn, but I do hope that you can over time. It will not only help you in feeling better, but it will assist in your relationships with everyone around you who cares for you.”

“I hope you’re not trying to say what I think you are…” Demitri rolled his eyes, resting himself down upon the mattress and curling up under the white sheets.

“I’m simply stating that it would help you in strengthening your relationship with all around you, including Patton. I am not saying in which way it will strengthen it, however. I am able to make conclusions, not predict the future.”

“Logan, please. Leave that alone. I mean,” Demitri rolled over and looked at his friend, “did you not see the way that him and Virgil interacted? They clearly have feelings for each other, and I am not going to get in the way of that. So, just… forget I said anything about it, alright?”

Demitri went to turn back over, but a loud snort of laughter had him stopping. He watched with narrowed eyes as Logan stifled laughter by covering his mouth tightly. The mage’s body convulsed with pulses of silent giggles, each followed by a clear wince of pain.

The animal handler rolled his eyes, “Stop it before you hurt yourself more.”

“Oh, Demitri, you are amusing.” Logan said, when he was finally able to speak without interrupting himself with giggles. “Virgil and Patton are and will always be simply friends.”

“What is this about my father and Virgil?”

Both scaled men looked up to the infirmary doors to find Roman standing there, a pile of heavy looking books in his arms.

“Roman, please tell Demitri here that Patton and Virgil have no romantic interest in each other.” Logan asked.

Immediately, Demitri’s cheeks flushed pink and he was glaring at Logan, while Roman’s face screwed up in disgust.

“Ugh, of course they do not! That is a horrifying idea. Where did you come up with that?” Roman addressed Demitri incredulously.

“It’s none of your business. I’m going to sleep. You both should too. Goodnight.”

The couple watched as Demitri turned and brought the sheets tighter around himself. Roman looked at Logan with a questioning gaze, but Logan simply shook his head, indicating he had nothing more to say to Roman on the matter that he’d walked into. The prince shrugged and gave up quickly, placing the books down onto the side table next to the mage’s bed. It was Logan’s turn to look quizzically at his partner, who smiled as he perched himself on the edge of the mattress.

“I thought you might like some reading material. With your injury, it looks as though you might be here for a little while…” Roman carefully brushed his fingertips along the edge of the bandages on Logan’s back.

A loving smile and a gentle kiss were what Roman got in response, though it was not too gentle for long as the couple took advantage of the slight privacy of the situation. Roman was careful with his partner, however. He would not allow either of them to get too into it, in case Logan would move in such a way that would cause pain. After a short while, the couple parted and both of them sighed.

Logan rested his forehead against the prince’s, “Thank you, Roman. You seem much calmer now.”

“I was far too worked up, I know. It is just unforgivable what some of the townspeople are likely to think about you. It is unfair, to both of you, that the public’s opinion will change so harshly because of some preconceived notions of your heritage.” Roman’s gaze bore deep into Logan’s; caring yet with an underlying layer of determination that had Logan feeling far safer and calmer than he had since his injury.

“I appreciate your support but promise me that you will not do anything reckless for our sake.”

There was a moment where Roman seemed to be considering his answer carefully, but once Logan started to scrutinise the prince, he relented and promised.

The couple spent a little longer having a whispered conversation. Nothing too significant was discussed, just simple things that were normal topics. During one of Roman’s stories, the prince noticed that Logan was staring out of the window opposite with a longing gaze.

“What are you wishing for, my love?” Roman asked, slipping his hand underneath Logan’s in order to interlink their fingers.

“I simply wish to be out on the roof of my tower watching the stars…” Logan admitted easily, as though it were something he shared with every passing traveller, “It is the one place where I truly feel at ease. There is something about seeing the stars, tracking their placement and noticing constellations that calms me…”

Roman was following the mage’s gaze, looking out of the window. He had no idea that Logan even had such a space, or access to the roof of his tower, but he could slightly understand his partner’s feelings. The night sky was utterly beautiful. Then Roman remembered.

“How about, once you are released, you allow me to show you something special?”

Logan’s gaze flicked from the window to his partner, trying to think of what could have sparked such a question. The mage was quick to agree, however, causing both of them to smile warmly. “I think I’d like that quite a bit, Roman…”


	6. Chapter 6

Logan found himself confined to the castle’s infirmary for close to an entire month after the attack, mostly due to the severity of his injury. He was alone in the infirmary for most of the time – bar the nurses that periodically checked in on him and the visitors that did the same. He was, however, far from lonely

The mage found himself missing the company of Demitri once the other had been released after only a few days. In the time they did spend together, the two forged a bond tighter than before. Demitri seemed to find comfort in Logan, admitting many things whilst in the company of the mage that he otherwise would have kept to himself. Logan attempted to do the same, but Demitri shot him down once it was clear he was uncomfortable with sharing such personal details. He was, however, far from lonely once the animal handler had been allowed to go.

Almost daily, Logan would receive a visitor. Usually it would be Roman, who would drop by between his duties to ensure that his love was, in fact, healing alright. Each visit would end with Roman reiterating his promise to take Logan somewhere special as soon as he was able to leave; an earnest statement that had Logan’s cheeks show a light dusting of pink each time. Demitri returned often and was back to his normal, sarcastic self. The two argued playfully in between moments of sincerity and trust. It was comfortable and Logan found himself looking forward to his visits. Both Patton and Virgil were far less frequent at dropping by the infirmary, but no less welcome. They tended to appear together, as they were extremely busy with their obligations and duties. Logan did once attempt to convince them that they need not worry about him, but Patton simply waved it off with a smile. On the opposing side, Virgil responded by reminding Logan that he was worried about most things, so of course Logan would be on that list somewhere, no matter what state he was in. Logan had made no attempt since.

Logan was nearing the end of his time in the infirmary when Patton come by one evening, this time alone.

“Hello Logan. How are you feeling today?” Patton asked casually as he seated himself in one of the chairs that had been left around Logan’s bed as he received visitors so often.

“Good evening, your ma- Um, I mean, Patton. I finally feel as though the wounds have fully healed. The nurses informed me that I should be allowed to leave any day now.” Logan said plainly, shifting his back slightly as he spoke about it.

“That’s fantastic news!” The king beamed, “I actually wanted to speak to you about what we plan to do once you are released.”

That piqued Logan’s interest. Only Roman had mentioned taking him to do something once he was allowed out of the infirmary, but he couldn’t help thinking that Patton’s idea was going to be far more responsible than Roman’s.

“If you would like to, we are planning on taking a trip down to the not-a-dungeon dungeon with yourself and Demitri. We would like to show you what we’ve done for those who live there.” Patton’s usual easy-going demeanour had shifted, and he was instead serious and calm. Logan, for the first time in a while, could see the strength and commitment the king had without having to search for it underneath the bubbly exterior.

“Who would be joining us? If you wouldn’t mind giving specifics.” Logan questioned.

“As mentioned, we have planned to have both yourself and Demitri come along. I decided to ask you first, as I feel your answer will foreshadow Demitri’s own. I am also planning on asking Roman. It would do him well to see what I was talking about, as well as show him what some compromises look like.” The king’s shoulders sagged ever-so-slightly at the mention of compromises. The lines around his face almost seemed to deepen and his age was showing. Patton had been doing so much, whilst holding onto a sunny smile that allowed no one to truly know what was going on in his turmoiled mind. Logan almost reached out for him but thought better of it once Patton regained his composure.

“Virgil will be alongside us as the only guard. I would prefer to keep the secret between only a few select people, for safety purposes. I’m sure you understand that.”

Logan nodded, “Of course. I would be happy to join you. It will be… interesting, I’m sure.”

Patton’s arms twitched, as if he wanted to pull the mage into an embrace but was thinking better of it. “That’s fantastic! Do you know exactly when you will be discharged?”

“They said it will be either this evening or tomorrow morning.”

“Ah…” Patton’s face fell, and he put his weight against the back of the wooden chair as he seemed to get lost in thought. He muttered to himself quietly, his fingers tracing invisible lines. “We may have to postpone for a few days. My schedule, and subsequently Virgil’s, is extremely busy with meetings with visiting diplomats and the like. Sorry Logan.”

“It is quite alright. You have important tasks to handle. That is reasonable and should be accounted for. Relations are essential after all.” Logan said with a casual shrug,

“What is this talk of relations?”

Both men turned to the infirmary doors to see Roman heading towards Logan’s bed, a large bouquet of colourful flowers in hand. Upon reaching them, the prince leant forward and placed a kiss upon Logan’s forehead before busying himself with swapping out the flowers that sat in the vase beside the bed.

“We were just discussing taking a trip down to the not-a-dungeon dungeon.” Patton explained, loving smile growing as he took in the sweet gestures of his son and the reactions they were gaining from the typically stoic mage.

Roman made a questioning noise of acknowledgement, “So, you and Logan are going down there?”

Patton stood to address his son, “Yes, and I woul-”

“Let me come along.”

Roman had turned suddenly, hands still wrapped around the flower vase. His expression was determined, features hard, posture straight. He was clearly attempting to look as though he had power, or something akin to intimidation. The effect was broken once his father grinned wide and clapped a hand on the prince’s shoulder, causing the expression to falter.

“I was just going to ask you to come with us. Though, it will also be with Demitri and Virgil as well.”

“Oh… um, I-I didn’t know that, uh…”

“Anyway, I’m glad you both agreed to come along! It’ll be a wonderful opportunity for you both. I must be getting back to my duties.” Patton began to sweep out of the room with something that could have been described as gleeful grace, “I’ll send someone to find you both once I have the time to take the trip down with you. Goodbye!” Without so much as a pause, the door was shut behind the monarch and the couple were alone.

Roman turned and placed the vase back down onto the side table, “You’re feeling better?” He carefully sat on the edge of the bed, resting a hand atop one of Logan’s lightly, as if he were made of such brittle glass that Roman could break with too hard a touch.

The mage forced his eyes not to roll as he heard the same question that had come from the prince’s lips every single time he had come by for a visit. As each day passed, Logan had gotten steadily more and more frustrated with the question. Was it not obvious he was feeling better? He had agreed to join the king and others in a trip down into the depths of the castle, so of course he was feeling better! Logan realised he had to do something to finally get Roman to understand that he was, most definitely, feeling better.

As he was trying to think of an idea, Logan’s gaze caught on the prince’s lips. It was all downhill from there. Very little thought went into his actions as Logan, without a word, pulled his hand from Roman’s grasp. He gripped Roman’s shoulders in order to stabilize himself as he threw his body forward, crushing his lips against the royal’s own. Roman was far too surprised to stop the momentum of Logan’s body, which led to his back falling upon the mattress and Logan falling on top of him. Thankfully, both of them mentally caught up with what was happening before they landed and neither seemed as though they were unhappy with the situation they’d found themselves in, instead favouring to continue the passionate embrace.

Eventually, Logan reluctantly pushed himself up and off of Roman. He was slightly breathless as he spoke. “Did it finally get through to you that I am, indeed,_ feeling better_?” Logan attempted to look put together, but his clothing and hair were ruffled from Roman’s wandering touch. Speaking of, said touch was wandering back along Logan’s side as the prince closed in on the mage.

“I believe it may have, but perhaps you should really make sure I’m truly convinced..” Roman muttered, his lips hovering mere inches from Logan’s, tempting the mage even more to return to their previous activities.

Logan was a man who prided himself on being able to avoid the temptation of all manner of vices. He could only list one thing that was able to tempt him before and that was one specific sweet treat. But then he’d gotten involved with this stupid, gorgeous, romantic, sweet brat of a royal. His list of vices promptly doubled immediately after that first kiss, and Logan was officially an addict with Roman being his chosen substance – a decision that the crown prince was more than happy with.

In order to get his next fix, Logan initiated another kiss, almost letting out an embarrassing noise as Roman returned it with enthusiasm. Both lost themselves in each other, forgetting that a world existed outside of themselves. They forgot so much that Logan put up no resistance as Roman slowly began revealing more of the mage’s pale skin.

“Your Highness. Please refrain from such acts with patients in my care.”

The stern voice had the couple splitting apart with sharp movements. Logan’s face quickly bloomed red and he turned his head away from the head nurse, leaving Roman to explain to her that his initial intention was far from inappropriate and that Logan had started it. It seemed as though the head nurse had no patience for the royal’s excuse as she quickly ushered him out of the room under the pretence of needing to evaluate Logan’s healed wounds.

“Honestly, you would think that his father would have raised him better. And you.” She turned her attention to Logan once the heavy doors of the infirmary had shut, “You should know better than to let such a harlot tempt you into such acts.”

Logan mumbled a few apologies, seeing as he had no excuses to rattle off. He followed the old woman’s instructions to the letter, allowing her to examine all she needed without prompting another rant from her. Despite her current nature, Logan knew she was overall a caring woman and had been working for the royals for years - Patton had let slip that she’d been the one to assist in both the princes’ births and so had seen them grow up. The idea that this familiarity was the only thing that allowed her to use such harsh language to talk about the crown prince crossed Logan’s mind before her voice addressed him again.

“Your back seems to have healed wonderfully. The scars are still there, but that is to be expected. I expect you to be careful in the coming days. Do not do anything strenuous for your back, just as a precaution.” She gave him a hard look that implied all sorts of things that Logan really did not want to hear from the old woman. Then a tiny smile grew, and she looked almost motherly, “You are free to go, Sir Pendry. I would like to see you in a week’s time, just to ensure everything is alright.”

The mage nodded and stood, finding his legs to be stiff from such little use. He thanked the head nurse and began gathering up his belongings. It wasn’t long before Logan realised he would have to make multiple trips to take everything back up to his tower. He sighed and stood up to full height, intending on turning to the old woman and informing her of his plan, but he wasn’t able to say a word.

“I heard what you called me! How dare you use such foul language to describe me?! I should have you thrown out for that!” Roman had been let back in by the head nurse, who was simply standing before the seemingly irate prince with an unreadable expression.

“By all means, your highness, do your best to get rid of me. See how long you last without my assistance.” She retorted.

Roman gaped at her before dramatically tossing his head with a sniff, “Fine. I suppose I’ll allow you to stay.” He stalked over to Logan and gathered up the things Logan was unable to fit into his arms, “Come, dear. I’ll escort you away from such a heathen of a woman.”

As the two exited, the head nurse called out, “It was lovely to see you, your highness. Do drop by to visit more often and tell your brother to do the same.”

The prince stopped dead. A beat passed before he turned on his heel and smiled at the old woman, “Of course. I’ll try my best. Goodbye, Felicity.” He then continued on his way, seemingly unaware of the odd nature of the interaction.

Logan had long since given up attempting to make sense of his significant other’s ability to act in any which way he desired. Instead, he focused on making it back to the safety of his tower.

Once there, Logan placed the books in arms upon one of the desks and stretched out his shoulders, “I haven’t had to carry so many at once in a long while. I had forgotten how heavy they are…” A pair of hands resting on his shoulders startled the mage slightly, before he remembered that Roman had accompanied him. Logan quickly relaxed as the prince’s hands massaged at his shoulders, tension he didn’t know he had disappearing in an instant.

“Feel free to reject my idea, but I would like to show you that sight I’ve been promising tonight. If you are willing, meet me at the stables at dusk.” Roman spoke low, still kneading Logan’s shoulders. “I hope to see you there, my love.” A light brush of the royal’s lips against the back of his neck had shivers running down Logan’s spine. Roman’s hands then left him and he left the tower.

For a moment, Logan mourned the loss of the prince’s secretly talented hands, but he soon managed to pull himself back together. He considered Roman’s proposition about meeting at dusk while he picked up the vase that had been brought back with him, the flowers still wonderfully fragrant and fresh. Logan wandered up the spiral stairs and placed the object on his sparse bedside table, his mind already finding his decision made. Of course Logan was going to go to the stables at dusk. What reason did he have not to?


	7. Chapter 7

A breeze ruffled the grass under the mage’s feet as he took the most direct path towards the castle’s stables, causing him to pull his robe tighter around himself as a shield against the chill. Logan silently cursed himself for giving in to Roman’s idea at such a time of year when the weather was turning cold. Hopefully what Roman wanted to show him wouldn’t involve being out for long.

Minutes passed as Logan stood at the stable doors, waiting for the crown prince. He watched the clouds slowly roll past in the sky, their edges tinted with oranges and pinks of the early evening sky. Logan wasn’t one for such frivolities as art or the like, but he did admit to himself that sights such as this one and the clear night sky did sometimes give him a yearning to capture the image on canvas. Logan was well aware he had very little skill in such areas, so he would just have to leave those kinds of things to his partner. Roman had invited Logan to visit his art room once. The pure chaos that was inside made Logan vow to never set foot in there again.

“Apologies for making you wait, Logan. I should have expected you to be so punctual.” Roman spoke softly as he seemed to appear next to the mage in the blink of an eye.

Logan started and turned sharply to face his partner. After the shock had subsided, his cheeks began to flush with embarrassment at being caught admiring the scenery, “I hope you endeavour to follow my example in the future, Roman. Were you not taught that being late to your own plans is quite rude?”

“I was most certainly not late.” Roman’s hands landed on his hips defensively, “I was here at the exact time I intended to be. You were just early.”

“Oh, so you are not aware of the phrase ‘Early is on time. On time is late.’? I would have thought someone of your theatrical interests would have known such a thing…” Logan side-eyed the prince, doing his best to hold in his smile as Roman puffed his chest up before retorting.

“If you have heard of such a phrase, _you_ should be aware that it only applies to _very specific_ circumstances, such as a place of work! It has no bearing here.” Roman said definitively, as if he’d somehow made the winning argument.

Logan snorted softly and went to respond, but a third voice cut in.

“I just _love_ hearing you two bicker out here. Would you mind being louder? I’m not sure if the residents at the other end of town could quite catch those last few words.” Demitri stood in the doorway, staring directly at the couple.

Roman was quick to apologise to the animal handler, who made a noise that seemed to be acknowledgement before slipping back inside the building. The prince then turned his attention back to his partner. “How about we go in and I tell you my plan as we prepare?”

“Prepare what exactly?”

“Allegria, of course. Come.” Roman offered no further information before he turned and entered the stable, leaving Logan to catch up. As the mage entered the building, he saw just how many horses the royal family owned. He could easily spot Virgil’s horse, as well as the king’s, as he had seen them both riding them many times as they returned from business outside of the palace. Before Logan could ponder the idea of who owned which anonymous horse in the rest of the spaces, Roman called him over.

Logan approached, a little wary of what he was about to encounter. He had heard about Roman’s steed many times from Demitri, who had so eloquently described her as ‘a brat’ and ‘the most spoiled animal he’d ever had the displeasure of caring for’. However, the mage was not ready to come upon her space and see the pure white sheen of her coat nor the two folded wings sitting atop her sides. “Ah… so this is Allegria… the pegasus…” Logan muttered in a moment of realisation.

“Correct.” Roman responded, running his hand down the pegasus’ neck. “She’s going to take us to a very special place.”

Allegria seemed to understand immediately that it was not just Roman who she was going to be carrying this evening. In response, she looked directly in Logan’s eyes and seemed to.. scowl? Logan convinced himself he was seeing things.

“Where is this ‘special place’, Roman? Are you going to enlighten me as to your plan?” The mage asked, standing out of the way as Roman worked to fit Allegria with her riding gear.

“I did consider it, but I think that it will be far better to surprise you, my love.” The crown prince grinned as the mage’s eyes rolled on instinct at the pet name. “I will give you my word that it is something I am sure you will enjoy.”

Logan’s eyes narrowed, “I’m not sure if you are the authority on such matters… but I suppose I have nothing else to do but place my trust in you this time.”

“This time?!” Roman cried out, stopping dead in the middle of attaching the saddle.

“Must I ask again?” Demitri sighed, walking towards the couple. An odd quiet answered him, as both Logan and Roman avoided his gaze. He stopped next to Logan and looked between the two men expectantly, “Well? Must I?”

“No, you don’t.” Roman reluctantly responded sounding all-together like a petulant child being scolded. He began putting all of his focus into ensuring Allegria was properly fitted. It was most definitely for safety reasons and not because Demitri’s gaze was boring directly into his soul.

“Apologies, Demitri. I believe we’ll be leaving soon.” Logan added quickly.

The prince hurried along with his prep before leading Allegria out into the fresh air. She impatiently ruffled her wings and huffed as Roman helped Logan up onto her back, situating the mage properly before clambering up himself. He guided Logan’s arms to wrap around his waist, throwing a smile back at the man behind him, “Hold on tight. It might be a bit bumpy at first.”

Logan did as he was told, gripping onto Roman tightly. He thanked every deity he could name that Roman warned him as Allegria sped away at a full gallop almost immediately. Logan, overcome by some kind of overwhelming fear as the pegasus’ wings opened, buried his face into the crown prince’s back as they began to ascend into the sky. He mentally counted through a pattern, attempting to keep his breathing steady and his shaking body under control.

In front, Roman couldn’t help the grin that stretched across his face. He was experiencing so many of his favourite things; soaring up into the sky at a high speed, the beating of Allegria’s wings against his legs, the feeling of Logan’s arms wrapped tightly around him as though he were his only lifeline. The intermittent shaking of his partner and the face being pressed deeply into his back was putting a shred of worry into Roman’s mind, but he didn’t want to embarrass the mage by asking. At least, not until they were done climbing higher into the air.

They levelled out after a minute or two, though it did feel like an age to Logan. Shakily, he pulled his head back and glanced around. He wished he hadn’t the moment his gaze tracked downwards. Logan’s grip tightened and he instinctively shuffled forward to press himself against Roman.

“Everything alright?” Roman asked casually, as if he hadn’t noticed Logan’s sudden shift.

“We… we are extremely high up.” Logan stated, the wavering of his voice giving him away as much as his tight grip.

Roman smiled warmly, “Yes, we are, indeed. It’s precisely as high as we need to be, right?” Roman gently patted at Allegria’s neck, which prompted a responding noise. Logan twitched violently at the sound. Roman could hear an intake of breath, which meant Logan was about to apologise. He cut him off, “Do you trust me, Logan?”

That had the mage pausing for a moment. “Of course I do, Roman.”

“Then believe me, and trust me, when I say that you are safe with me, Logan. I trust Allegria with my life. I would not even entertain the thought of bringing you along with me if I did not.”

He would later tell Roman that it was the high altitude, but still Logan found himself almost unable to breathe at the sincerity of the prince’s words. He was sure that if Roman had been able to face him, his expression would have made Logan’s heart skip a beat – as impossible as that was. A few moments later, Logan’s grip relaxed a little and he was simply resting against Roman’s back, “Alright, Roman. I will… endeavour to remember that.”

Roman’s smile widened to a grin. He wanted to say something back, but he bit his lip to stop himself from ruining the moment.

They flew in a comfortable silence towards their destination. Logan began to stare at the passing clouds, watching them in fascination. He also observed the sky he’d been admiring previously slowly change shades; the pinks and oranges fading away to tones of reds and blues. The bright stars began to seemingly pop into existence in the sky and he had a full view of it all. Logan was enraptured by it all. So much so, that he missed when Roman alerted him to their descent. All of a sudden, Allegria headed towards the ground and Logan yelped in surprise. His grip tightened so harshly that Roman could feel the air being pushed out of him, as though he’d just been knocked back in training yet again. It was over in a matter of seconds, as the pegasus’ hooves landed gently upon the white snow.

Carefully, Roman pried Logan’s grip off and he dismounted. He helped the shaken mage down to solid ground before turning his attention to his animal companion, “Thank you, my sweet. Take a nice rest.” Allegria tossed her head slightly but allowed Roman to pet her softly before she wandered off to a patch nearby to take a rest.

As Roman was busy, Logan took a moment to place himself in his surroundings. It was clearly somewhere high, as they had taken far less time to come to solid ground that they had coming up from the castle courtyard. It was far colder than it had been on ground level, and the snow was but one indicator of such. He peered off around, trying to see what was nearby in the darkness, but could only make out vague shapes. He wracked his brain, thinking of a place that held all the characteristics that he had noticed.

“So, Logan, have you-” Roman began a dramatic-sounding speech, his arms held wide as he faced away towards the distance.

“The peak…”

“What?” Roman stopped mid-sentence, sharply turning around.

“You’ve taken us to the peak of the mountains. Carlecona’s Peak, to be exact, if I am not mistaken.”

Roman pouted, “You weren’t supposed to know where we are until I told you. Now my whole speech is ruined.”

Logan snorted softly and approached the prince, reaching out to rest a still slightly shaking hand upon his arm, “Many apologies for having functioning eyes.”

The prince scowled at his partner for a moment before sighing dramatically, “I suppose I can forgive you, as this was only the start of the surprise. Come.” Roman began trekking through the snow up a small incline. Logan followed as best he could, doing everything to not fall down and make a fool of himself. Once at the top, Logan’s mouth fell open.

The view was absolutely stunning from the mountain’s peak. Somehow, this one specific spot had just a perfectly clear look across the kingdom, all the way to the sea in fact. Clusters of dim lights illuminated the darkness, giving Logan a way to place himself as he noted which town would be which. Even through the darkness, he could see the farmland and forests, the ruins and the houses. It was all so… beautiful. And then, Roman gently tilted his head upwards towards the sky. The stars were all alight, all in their places, with the full moon bright and round. It was everything Logan had already been looking at back at his tower, but there was so much more for him to see here. He could turn and look in all directions and still be surrounded by the fascinating night sky.

As the mage looked awestruck at the view, Roman was content to stand beside and watch. The excitement and surprise in Logan’s eyes were as clear as the stars in the sky above and Roman couldn’t help but smile. He rarely saw this side of the stoic man, as he preferred to keep everything close to himself, but seeing him with his guard down just did something to Roman’s heart. The prince wanted to see Logan like this more. He took a seat in a rather well-worn nook of a boulder nearby and turned his gaze out towards the kingdom, “No one else has been up here, you know.”

“What?” Logan ripped his gaze away from the sky to look towards his pensive partner.

“Up here, on the peak.” Roman reemphasised, “At least, I have never brought anyone with me.”

“Is there a reason for that?” Logan took a seat beside Roman, looking out upon the same view.

“Because… I’ve never trusted anyone to know about this place.”

“What do you mean? Many know of it; it is the peak of the mountain. The fabled one that is said to be cursed if man stepped foot on it once more, lest they be haunted by the ghost of the hero who won the battle singlehandedly right here, or so the legends say.” Logan recalled with an underlying tone of distaste for the rumours.

Roman shook his head with a soft chuckle, “That is not what I meant. I mean, that I’ve never trusted anyone with the knowledge that I come here. It’s where I come to… escape whenever things become too much.”

“Ah… I see.”

The couple sat looking out towards the horizon for a moment before Logan suddenly realised the implications of Roman’s words.

“W-wait a moment, Roman. You said you have never brought anyone up here?”

“Yes.”

“No one, at all?”

“At all.”

Logan’s face bloomed red and he settled back into his spot, trying not to alert Roman too much to his sudden comprehension, “Well… I feel somewhat… honoured that you trust me with such… things…” The mage cringed as he couldn’t quite find the words he was looking for. It didn’t seem to matter much as the warmth of Roman’s hand covering his own had him turning to see such a loving gaze turned towards him. The view was forgotten as they stared into each other’s eyes for moments on end, almost daring each other to take the plunge.

When Roman finally did move forward to capture Logan’s lips, the mage was overwhelmed with the sensation. It was far different from all the other kisses they’d shared previously somehow. He thought he’d experienced them all, but Roman always managed to find a way to prove him wrong. It was utterly indescribable, the way it made him feel. The only thing Logan could think of doing to explain was to return the kiss with the intention of letting Roman know all of it through said action.

They parted soon after, as breathless as they normally were after far more involved kisses. Neither said a word, Roman simply turned his gaze back to the view and Logan instinctively rested his head against the prince’s shoulder and also stared.

“Why did you bring me out here?” Logan asked softly, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Roman smiled down at the man resting upon his shoulder, “After you mentioned wanting to see the stars, I remembered how many I could see out here at night. I thought you would enjoy seeing it. Also… I wanted to bring you here, to show you how much you mean to me.”

Logan’s cheeks flushed yet again, and he turned to bury his face into the prince’s firm chest, “How dare you?”

A gentle laugh pulsed through Roman’s body in response as his arms came up to hold Logan close, “I will not apologise.”

Logan’s lip twitched up into a smile. He was content to sit here in Roman’s arms just a while longer, before they had to return to their regular schedule. “I think I understand now…”

“Hmm?”

“Why you come here.”

“You do?”

“Yes. May I make a request?”

“Of course, you may. You know I can never turn you down.”

“Bring me along next time as well?”


	8. Chapter 8

Footsteps echoed as several pairs of feet descended the stone stairs. The king led the group, torch held high above his head to light the tightly winding staircase. He also paused every now and then to relight the mounted sconces that he came across. His son was barely a step behind him, the prince’s anticipation fuelling his impatience and almost causing the two to collide multiple times. Keeping a safe distance back, Logan and Demitri followed silently. The two seemed to be equally as lost in thought as the other, though no one in the group could blame them. They were about to come face to face with others of their supposedly deceased race. Virgil followed up at the rear, keeping an eye on everyone in front of him. Once Roman had almost fallen over his father for the fifth time, Patton called upon the knight captain to light the torches instead of himself – to save them all from potential injury.

It felt like they had been heading down for far too long – and Roman made sure to comment on it at least twice - before the ground levelled and they reached a small door. Patton stopped and turned, gathering everyone’s attention. He rested a hand on the wooden door, “We’re here. Are we all ready?” A murmur of agreement and wave of gentle nods answered him, “Well then, here we go.” The door creaked as Patton pushed it open and stepped through. The rest of the group filed in after him, awkwardly congregating just off to the side of the door. It was clear from the height of the room they had entered, why their trip had felt so long.

The space they currently occupied was dome-like in shape and two double doors led out on either side, with healthy looking plants and a couple of simple benches filling the rest of the area. Upon closer inspection, small vents were cut into the structure, allowing for the natural light from above to pour in without being entirely obvious to the eye. A sign caught Roman’s attention and he stepped closer to read it, “When doors are shut, be cautious of noise.”

“Ah, yes. As you may have noticed,” Patton spoke in a hushed voice, “there are gaps that allow for the sunlight. I couldn’t just leave them with only candlelight, but it did pose a challenge as now they could be heard. Signs like that are common in the places where these holes are, so please don’t be too alarmed. Now, through here.” The king began to head towards the left door, followed by the rest of the group.

Even if Patton hadn’t told them that the space they were in used to be used as a dungeon in a previous time, it was readily apparent, though clear steps had been taken to help remedy the feeling of imprisonment. The hallway had been widened, both in width and in height so it was far more comfortable to walk through. Where bars originally should have sat in the rock walls, wooden sliding doors were now in place giving each one a far more homely, innocent look. Indentations where candles were placed had been greatly increased in size so that the light poured out in all directions and made it far easier to traverse.

Patton’s lips twitched into a proud smile as he wandered through the hall, “We spent a long time trying to make it less uncomfortable down here. There were many more changes I would have loved to have made but we didn’t quite have the manpower for it, or the freedom.”

“Freedom? But you are the king. Surely you could-” Roman started, only to be cut off by Patton’s raised hand.

“While I would have been able to with the power I hold from my position, it would have put the residents in far more danger. So, I had to compromise.” The king explained solemnly, a wistful gaze just barely being visible as he turned his head.

Roman hunched over very slightly as the twinge of embarrassment from his query affected him. It made absolute sense, but he didn’t consider it. He berated himself internally for a moment, before a hand gently brushed against his own and brought him out of his mind. The prince glanced to the side to find Logan walking directly beside him, eyes fixed forward with a slight tinge of colour to his cheeks the only indication that the action was purposeful. Roman couldn’t help but smile and link their fingers together in order to hold the mage’s hand, which caused their gazes to meet for a moment along with a gentle shared smile.

“Are you ready to meet them?” Patton asked suddenly, now facing the group. Behind him was another set of double doors, practically identical to the ones they’d entered the hallway through. “Past here is the communal area, where they spend the bulk of their time. I mean, I would rather not spend my time in these cramped corridors.” He chuckled to himself yet no one else reacted, “Anyway, follow me.” Patton pushed open the door, bathing them all in bright light.

As each of the men entered, their jaws dropped one by one at the sight before them. The ceiling was high and curved, with a large chandelier hanging from the highest point. Other similar doors and matching crevices from the hallway lined the front area they were currently standing in, all seemingly leading into other matching hallways that likely held more rooms. Groups of people were relaxing around the space on chairs and benches; seemingly chatting away happily or playing games. Some were passing through to the deeper part of the room, stepping under the wooden walkways suspended high against the wall. They couldn’t make out what was further in through the throngs of people, but it seemed to be far busier down there.

Patton was standing beside his fellow men, watching as they took in the impressive space he’d created. He waited patiently for a minute before addressing them, “So, I assume you’re all quite impressed?”

Virgil simply nodded, while Demitri and Logan were looking around their fellow Yitra with unreadable expressions. Only Roman responded verbally to his father.

“You did all this? Without anyone knowing?” The prince asked in awe, gesturing to the space. He couldn’t quite peel his eyes away to even look at his father, though the sudden turning of heads towards him was making it slightly easier.

Before Patton could respond to his son, one of the older residents approached and bowed to him before speaking, “Who are these visitors, your majesty?”

The king turned quickly to address the elder, though his eyes strayed for a moment and caught the stares of the surrounding people. Patton then smiled warmly and began to speak, mostly to the elder but with enough projection for him to be heard by the audience that had now gathered, “My sincerest apologies. I must have frightened some of you by bringing strangers into your space. I assure you that we all mean no harm. This is my son, Prince Roman Sanders, and his partner and our royal wizard, Sir Logan Pendry. Beside him is Demitri Candor Issra, who looks after the castle’s animals and our newest captain of the guards, Sir Virgil Alastair.” Many flinched at Virgil’s name, but Patton continued on, “I know you may have your reservations about their intent, but I assure you whole-heartedly that they all wish for your safety and only came to see you all. I hope you will treat them with the same respect they shall provide to you.”

Before Patton had even finished, two bystanders approached Logan. “Pendry… Is that truly your name?” One of them asked in a hushed voice, almost as if the name itself was a secret. The mage simply nodded and the two Yitra shared a glance before beckoning him to follow. “You, as well. Please follow us. There are things you must see.” The other said to Demitri, who obediently stepped forward. The four walked towards the deeper section of the room, not even giving a backwards glance.

Roman went to follow after his partner, but a hand on his arm stopped him. He turned his head sharply to look at his father. They stared at each other, having a long silent conversation. Both of their expressions continued to shift as they tried to get their points across without a single sound. While the pair were distracted, the elder stepped around them and approached Virgil. “I would like to speak with you, Sir Alastair.”

Virgil’s panic started to rise, but he did his best to look as casual as possible. “O-oh okay.” He agreed, cursing himself for stuttering. The elder made no comment and simply led the captain to a table, where the two sat down.

The royals eventually seemed to come to some form of agreement. Roman huffed in annoyance and stepped back to stand beside Patton while Patton looked around for a space for them to rest. “Shall we sit?” He gestured to a free bench nearby.

“I suppose.” Roman said shortly.

They sat in silence, simply watching the underground dwelling people go about their day. Patton did watch Virgil for a short moment, seeing that he was currently sat with three more of the elderly Yitra at the table and was having some sort of deep conversation with them all. He couldn’t help the small warm feeling of pride that started spreading through his chest at the sight. Then he noticed his son sat with his arms crossed and a small pout. Patton thought for a second before turning his attention back to the populous at large, “Logan did mention to me earlier that there was something you wanted to discuss with me?” Patton prompted casually. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Roman glance over to him, his expression changing to one of guilt.

“Ah, yes. I… had forgotten about that once I saw this. Though now that I remember, I am feeling far worse…” Roman confessed with a heavy sigh. “I wanted to… apologise. For what I said. Back in the infirmary that night. I was… frustrated and angry. I have always thought of you so highly, as someone to look up to and imitate when it came to important matters and royal duties. So, when I thought you had kept all these innocents imprisoned and you agreed with the townsfolk, it cut me to my core.” His gaze was directed away from his father. Roman couldn’t bring himself to look at the man who’d raised him. Not once had he spoken this aloud, even to himself. And yet, here he was, sitting in a repurposed dungeon, spilling his heart out. “I understand now. All I can say is… I am sorry if I caused any hurt with my words or actions.”

“Roman…” Patton’s voice was soft and emotional. His arm wrapped around his son’s shoulders comfortingly, as tears began to well up behind his eyes. “I assure you that I was not hurt. At least, not as much as you may think. I understand your anger. It was a lot to handle, especially in one night. You care so deeply for others, especially those you are close to, that it sometimes comes out in a burst of emotions. It is commendable that you are able to notice the wrongs from your actions and apologise accordingly. It’s a wonderful quality to have, especially in a future leader.” Patton couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up as Roman turned his gaze to him in shock at his words, “Oh, come now, Roman. It cannot be that much of a surprise.”

“I just… I was not expecting you to say such a thing. Especially now, of all times.” Roman explained, still in a state of disbelief.

“I’m simply being realistic, son. There is nothing to worry about. You still have much to learn.” Patton grinned, squeezing his son’s shoulders, “And as someone you look up to and your father, I am willing to teach you!”

The prince winced slightly, “Ah… so you did pay attention to that… wonderful.” Roman stretched out his arms and took a breath before returning to his normal self, “I would be more than happy to learn from you, father. There is much I now want to speak to you about, especially after seeing this. I want to know if there is any more I can do to help.”

Patton wiped a tear before finally embracing his son, holding him tightly, “I am so proud of you, Roman.” Eventually, the royals parted and smiled at each other. Then Patton clapped his hands and went to stand, “How about we go and check in on Virgil? I think he might like some familiar company about now.”

Upon glancing behind his father, Roman stifled a laugh. Virgil was now surrounded by younger Yitra, all of whom seeming to be looking either confused or close to starting a physical fight with the elders at the table. “It does look that way. Let’s go and save him.”

While they went over to speak with Virgil, not one of them could have guessed what Logan and Demitri were currently experiencing.

They had been led by their two guides deeper into the room. They both were swivelling their heads around, trying to take in all they could see. High up off the ground, a wooden platform lined the entire wall with several ladders attached against the walls beneath, allowing access. This area was about twice the size and as loud as the previous. On the ground level, different coloured carpets were laid upon the floor with some people – likely some form of storekeeper – calling out to the people perusing the place to try and persuade them to look closer and buy their wares. It was strange in Logan’s mind that things such as stores or merchants would exist in an isolated community, but the thought was pushed from his mind when he got called over to the nearest ladder. Once up there, Demitri gestured Logan to look down from above. It was surreal. Both of them weren’t still fully believing what their eyes were seeing. All of these people, that created this busy underground, were their fellow Yitras. They had spent their whole lives thinking that they were alone, or at least just two of very few that remained in their country, and yet here they were in the hundreds, maybe even thousands.

“Follow us this way, please.” One of their guides spoke up, breaking them from their thoughts. Demitri moved first and Logan trailed behind, looking at the upper space they were now walking through.

More doors lined the walls up here, though almost all of them were propped open so you could see inside. Most of them looked to be like small classrooms, which Logan was infinitely interested in. He wanted to explore, find out what they taught and what books they might have. But he instead had to hurry along to make sure that he wasn’t left behind. They walked past more of them and Logan was able to see a few kitchen-like rooms, a small library, a few more permanent looking shops and some alchemic studies that looks almost as messy as his did back in his tower. Finally, they stopped at a closed door.

“In here.” The two guides gestured.

Demitri cautiously pushed open the door, peering around inside before stepping in. Logan followed as quickly as he could, not wanting to be left alone outside. It shut behind them, their two guides apparently choosing not to come along. The room was sparsely decorated; the walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a large wooden desk sat in the centre surrounded by chairs. In the one behind the desk, an unfamiliar old man sat, one of the leather-bound books open in front of him.

Upon hearing the door shut, he looked up and adjusted his glasses. “Oh, hello. What can I help you with?”

Logan and Demitri shared a glance. Neither were sure why they were here, but their best bet was to introduce themselves. Logan was quicker, “We were brought here after two of the residents heard our names. I am Logan Pendry, and this is Demitri Candor Issra. We ca-” The mage didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence.

“It cannot be…” The man behind the desk stood, staring at Logan as if he couldn’t quite believe that he was truly there. With careful steps, he moved around the desk and crossed the room. He reached out in an attempt to touch the mage, but Logan flinched slightly in response. The man seemed to break from his reverie and a gentle sadness crossed his features. “Come, sit down. There are things I simply must show you both.”

The men took their seats as the stranger shuffled around, running his finger across the spines of the books on the shelves. He suddenly stopped and looked over to them, “Many apologies. I realised I hadn’t introduced myself yet. You may call me Morely. I look after the records we hold on every birth and death that had occurred from our kind for generations.” Morely went back to searching the shelves, “We were privileged that the last two kings were benevolent enough to have not destroyed all the records prior to the conflict, which means we hold- Ah, here’s one of them.” He was speaking absent-mindedly until he cut himself off, hefting the large book from a lower shelf.

The binding looked fragile, as though it had seen many years, so Morely was handling it with such care as he placed it on the desk. He took his seat once more and cautiously began turning the pages, looking as though he were searching for something in particular. Neither Demitri nor Logan spoke a word. Both of their minds were running wild with thoughts of what they hoped to find in the records in the room, likely knowing that the other was thinking something similar.

After what felt like an age, the elder man turned the book towards the men and gestured to a specific page, “Here is something I think you will find of particular interest, Sir Issra.”

Demitri was up on his feet in an instant, eyes directly on the spot that Morely had gestured to. As he read the words, he felt as though something inside of him was finally lifting. For the first time in years, Demitri was able to see and know the names of his parents, of siblings he lost, of older family members he only saw as a baby. Every part of his family was listed on the page before him. It was overwhelming. As his legs began to shake ever so slightly, Demitri went to sit down, but Morely stopped him.

“There is something on the next page I would also like you to see.”

With the barest of touches, Demitri turned the page slow and careful. What greeted him felt somewhat like a punch to the gut whilst also being a comforting embrace. An old hand-drawn picture of his father, mother, himself and his siblings that had been completed only days before the massacre happened and they all looked happy...

Demitri stumbled back into his chair, hand pressed over his mouth as he did his best not to cry – something he was failing at quite miserably. As much as it may have seemed as though he was devastated, Demitri would be quick to assure anyone that asked that he was in fact extremely happy. Simply knowing the names of his family and seeing them even in a static moment from the past was more than enough to give Demitri some form of closure. Gentle pressure on his arm had him turning his gaze to Logan, who was doing his best to comfort him in this moment.

Over at the desk, neither noticed much as Morely took the picture from the page and placed it to one side. “I was told to keep this for a day when you visited. It is yours now.” Morely said, carefully handling the book once more to place it back on the shelves. Demitri thanked the man quietly under his breath, through his tear-laden voice.

“And for you, Sir Pendry… I have this book.” Morely had the newer looking book in his hands almost immediately, as though he knew exactly where it had been kept. Once again taking his seat, the record keeper turned with practiced motions to a page before handing it over to Logan. The mage was hesitant but took it.

He read slower than Demitri did, taking his time to fill his mind with every word. This was his first time seeing any name that was related to his own. He had only been around the age of 4 when he was left at the orphanage and could just barely remember anything about his mother, so this was utterly new. Logan paused abruptly once he read the name of his father.

The book was lowered from his face. He stared across the desk at Morely. Logan’s mouth opened. Then closed. He could not find the correct words to form what he wanted to say. After a moment, Logan managed to croak out a few words, “Is… this correct?”

Morely smiled warmly, “I can assure you that all our records are indeed accurate.”

Logan turned his gaze back down and re-read the name before him. “So… is this…?” He couldn’t quite bring himself to say it, something inside trying to hold back his sudden hope just in case it could hurt him more.

The record keeper stood. He walked around to the front of the desk. With the utmost care, he removed the book from Logan’s already weak grip and placed it back on the desk behind him. The two then finally made eye contact once again. Morely simply smiled warmly, “It’s been far too long, my son.”

A beat of silence. Not a single person moved. Then Logan, in a rare display of non-magically enhanced intense emotion, flung his body off of the chair and onto the man in front of him. His arms held tight, tears slid from his eyes, his body shook heavily. It was hard to believe, hard to comprehend, but it was what was written. Morely was, in fact, his father.

Demitri went to quietly excuse himself from the situation, heading towards the door as the father and son embraced but Morely’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Where are you going?” He asked.

The animal handler hesitated, “I just… felt as though you two would like some time alone. To catch up and such.” He started to back away to the door again.

“Please do stay. There is so much I would love to discuss, with you too. You have been the one looking after my son for these years. I am sure you have some stories to tell.” Morely grinned at the thought, it only widened when Demitri snorted in amusement. He quickly turned serious again, “There are things I must explain to you both as well. I am sure you are wondering why you have never been told about all of this…” That got Demitri to agree to stay.

After the emotions had simmered down and Morely had gotten both of his guests a drink, he explained as much as he could whilst Demitri and Logan did their best to not interrupt. The record keeper told them a story of the previous king; how he’d made a vow to leave Morely’s family in peace if he came along to the castle to help with the running of the underground city – as his wife was human and they had only recently found out they were to have a child shortly before he left. The very same vow was made with Patton once his father fell ill and was on his deathbed. He explained that Patton came to him when Logan had been rescued from the streets of Dawnwich, telling him of his son’s misfortune. It had destroyed Morely to know that his wife had likely passed, but he could not bring himself to allow Patton to put his son underground with him.

“I told him that I would rather you live freely and safely within the castle, able to see the world and people around you, than being stuck down here with the rest of us.” Morely said, his shoulders heavy and slouched, “His majesty did try to protest, but I refused outright to accept his decision. It was foolish and could have put me in danger with any other monarch, but he is different. And so, he kept you above with everyone else.”

“But why would Patton keep it a secret from Demitri?” Logan asked unprompted.

“He wouldn’t tell me the full reason. His majesty simply told me that-”

“I wanted him to be in a better state of mind; healthier and wiser.”

Logan and Demitri turned their heads to the new voice, finding Patton standing in the doorway of the records room with a smile.

Demitri rolled his eyes shortly after, turning away once more, “And I suppose my involvement with Logan was a part of this, Patton?”

“It was a happy coincidence, but I did hope it would help you, yes.” Patton said as he approached the desk and stood beside it. “I wanted you both to have grown before you came here – well, once Morely rejected my proposal to have you live down here with him, Logan – so that you could handle knowing it all so quickly. I did not want either of you to hurt if you came here. So, I waited until now. I am sorry, if you find my reasoning unfair.” The king bowed to them, in a show of respect.

“I, for one, thank you for what you did. Both of you.” Logan spoke up, voice regaining strength. “Had you not allowed me a place to live above the ground, there are so many things I never would have been able to experience and… people I would have never met…”

Patton grinned knowingly. They finished up their conversation and the three guests headed back out into the main hall. “You know where I am if you ever wish to find me.” Morely said with a wink and a smile before he shut the door behind them.

“I think it’s about time we returned to the castle. I’m beginning to get a little hungry.” Patton patted his stomach, his brow furrowed exaggeratedly.

Demitri went to respond but was cut off by a loud cheering from the front half of the room. “What is happening down there?” He asked, walking ahead to peer over the railing of the wooden platform. Logan and Patton were not far behind and they were all surprised to see Virgil… showing off?

They quickly descended the ladder and hurried over to the group, managing to find a spot where they could see everything. Roman and Virgil were seemingly having a duel, though both were being very gentle and placing their blades more than swinging them at each other. The surrounding crowd was enjoying it, shouting out support for whomever they wished to ‘win’ the fight, though it was clear that Virgil was likely to come out on top – despite Roman’s desire to best him.

Virgil ‘landed’ the final blow and over-powered Roman, the sword in the prince’s hand falling to the side as he fell to a knee in defeat. The knight captain smirked playfully and sheathed his sword, “Even in a simple match like this, I still win.”

“Oh, hush!” Roman demanded, pushing himself up so he could loom over the knight once more, “I was simply putting on the best show. I could most definitely best you in a true duel!”

“Sure.”

Roman gaped for a moment before catching sight of the rest of their party in the crowd. “Father! Tell Virgil I could most certainly defeat him!”

“I have never seen you do so, Roman, but I believe in your ability.” Patton spoke carefully, choosing his words so as to remain neutral. He also managed to bring the attention to himself in doing so, allowing him to inform the surrounding people that he and his party were to return to the castle above. “I am sure that you will be seeing some of us return in the future for visits. We thank you kindly for being welcoming and understanding to us all. Goodbye.” The group began their trek back through the hallway lined with doors and up the staircase.

Roman hung back to walk alongside Logan, noticing that the mage was lost in thought. He carefully slipped his hand into Logan’s own, trying not to surprise him too much. The effort was ultimately in vain as Logan abruptly turned his gaze to Roman, only to relax a moment later. “Apologies. I wanted to offer comfort in this time.” Roman muttered under his breath, so only Logan could hear him, “You were deep in thought. You have no obligation to tell me what happened, though I am willing to listen if you need to speak of it.”

Logan’s lips turned up into the smallest of smiles before he leant in and pressed a short kiss to Roman’s own, “I am aware of that. I think it would be best to wait until we are back above ground to speak.”

The two quickened their pace, catching up to the elder men in front of them who had just reached the staircase, fingers intertwined the entire time.


End file.
